If today was your last day
by Nurserygirl
Summary: After the final battle the gang heads to Cleavland only to be side tracked with a trip to Michigan. They are soon learn that one of their own has been keeping secrets.
1. Chapter 1

Spoilers: Kind of AU threw some of the seasons. Which means that some things in the Buffy verse happened and some of them didn't, so if you haven't seen the whole series or don't know how it ended, don't read. Things that didn't happen in the Buffyvers for this story. wasn't evil. Alan got to the Slayers in time and a plan was hatched. and Willow were just friends. was killed and Willow went slightly evil she tracked Warren and put him in jail he was killed in prison by a fellow inmate 4. Anya is dead. She wasn't a vengeance demon just a normal girl that had transferred to Sunnydale during Senior year 5. No Spuffy 6. Robin and Faith were just a one time thing. 7. The Slayers-in-training are all gone they went their separate ways after the fight 8. Kennedy and Willow were never together. 9. Forrest didn't die he was injured in the finale showdown in the Initiative and was given an honorable discharge 10. Dawn is real. 11. Buffy did die fighting Glory they both fell threw the portal. Willow brought Buffy back though.  
12. No Oz and Willow 13. Willow never had a thing for Xander. A/N: Takes place after the series finale.

The battered up school bus rolled down the highway. Its occupants all sleep as the bright sun shined down on them. The seven people on the bus all in various stages of filth. It had been four days, four days since their home had imploded on itself, four days since the former Slayers in training turned Slayers parted ways with the group, four days since they lost two members of their group.

Behind the wheel sat Rupert Giles, brown hair grayed by years and worry. His glasses perched on his nose, he eyes on the road ahead of him. The signs for exits passed by as he kept on his path.  
Looking in the mirror above him he saw his wards, his children all lay out in the seats. His eyes landed on Buffy his Slayer.

Buffy's blonde hair was pulled up in a sloppy bun on her head. She, still wore the clothes that Vi's mother had given her. Her blue shirt too big for her small frame, her jeans all wrinkled. Her head propped against the window as her legs were stretched out on the seat. Giles smiled at her reflection as he thought back to how his slayer was the one to defy all the odds of the Council,  
and he was proud of her.

His eyes then shifted to Dawn, her head propped up on her arms and her T-shirt and blue jeans clad tall frame curled up on the seat across from her sister Dawn, Buffy's little sister, the girl had been threw so much in her life. She had watched as her parents went through a divorce, moving to Sunnydale, lost her mother two years before and Buffy's death a year earlier had really torn her apart. He remembered all the times he had sat with her and listened to her talk about which boy band member she thought was cute. He loved her as a daughter just as much as he loved Buffy.

His eyes slipped over to Faith, his other Slayer. Faith's dark brown hair was falling around her face in tangles, which Vi's mom had given her clothes she had declined and still wore her own,  
her legs bent up in the fetal position. She had come into the group when Buffy had really didn't need any more distractions. The two of them had split the slaying until the group had caught wind of the Mayors plans when the Deputy Mayor came to them for help. Faith went undercover as a hired assassin for the mayor. She had, had a tough childhood, her mother was a careless woman and so the young girl had turned to the company of men, which never turned out right for her. Giles had enrolled her in home schooling. She had gotten her high school diploma the year before.

His blue eyes next found Andrew, the overly excitable Scifi geek, who had somehow found his way into the group. His sandy blonde hair full of dirt leaning against the window with his legs curled up to his chest and his button up shirt was sticking out of his pants, which were blue jeans that looked about one size too big for him. He had started as their hostage but he soon he had become apart of the team and was declared the 'Mother hen' by the ex-slayers-in-training. Giles couldn't help but feel badly for the boy. His big brother was in jail, his parents gone and his two best friends were both dead, one by the hands of an inmate in prison and the other by Andrews own. Giles was a bit found of the boy but even under torture he would deny it.

Next Giles eyes landed on Xander. The young man who had grown up so much in the past few years that it made Giles wish the boy was truly his for he was that proud of Xander. Xander's head like the others rested against the window with his legs not stretched out on the seat or close to his body, however they were hanging over the back of the seat in front of him. Giles gave a slight laugh, Xander the ever loving goof ball of the group still a kid in many ways. Xander's eye was closed, his brown hair cut so short that even if it was messy no one would be able to tell. His right arm reached out across the aisle to the seat next to him.

His eyes landed on the last member of the group, Willow. The redhead was in the seat across from Xander the two were holding hands as if they were each others life lines, which in reality they could be. Willow's head was pillowed on her left arm, her legs curled on the seat. Her green shirt which was given to her by Vi's mom, and her jeans looked to be starting to wrinkle.

Travers had been right he did love Buffy like a daughter but what the Council hadn't notice was that he loved all of them like his children. He had been through so much with all of them, and he wouldn't have changed it for anything in the world. Giles put his focus on the road once again as the group slept. He watched as he passed by countless gas stations and restaurants.

"Hey Giles. What town are we in?" came the question from Willow as she sat down in the seat behind him rubbing the sleep from her green eyes.

He looked at the road and then back at the sleepy redhead, she was the only one awake which considering it was only ten in the morning was shocking. Dawn and Andrew where usually the first two up.

"We are about two miles outside of Ann Arbor, Michigan."

"Oh great! I know a place we can go. Can I drive?" she asked.

"Sure thing just let me pull over." he said as he brought the bus to the side of the road and let the redhead in the driver seat taking her now empty seat.

Willow eased the bus back onto the road and soon Giles was lost in all the twists and turns that she had taken he wasn't sure if he would be able to find the highway again. Twenty minutes after Willow had taken over the driving duty, Xander awoke when he didn't feel Willows hand in his anymore. He sat up looked around and then looked at Giles who looked baffled as to where it was Willow was taking them.

Buffy was the next one up and soon Faith was sitting up in her spot. Dawn was the next one to get up, Andrew would have slept longer but Faith had reached behind her and whacked him in the head and said," Scifi get up." which made the young man start whining, saying that he was going to sleep as far away from Faith as possible the next night.

"Hey check it out a resort. Though, why we are stopping here I have no idea." Buffy said as Willow stopped the bus in front of a very huge and expensive looking, building, with a gate and everything. The whole street was lined with buildings just like it.

"Um Wills I love you and all but there is no way we can afford a Resort. We can barely afford the gas for the bus." Xander said as he looked at Willow who was now standing beside the drivers seat.

"Yeah I mean I'm all for a resort stay Red but I hear they are really expensive." Faith said as she watched the redhead open the doors on the bus and walk off.

"Um Willow? Hey where are you going? Seriously Will we can't afford this place." Dawn said as the group hurried after Willow.

Willow walked across the pavement to the front gate and pressed an order of buttons. When the front gate opened she walked in knowing that the others would follow. She walked up the walkway staring at all the cars that where in front of the building.

"Willow come on now. You have had whatever little fun this is to you. We should get back on the road." Giles said speaking his mine on the matter.

"Why the Hellmouth in Cleveland isn't going anywhere Giles. Besides there is something I have to do." Willow said and with that she opened the front door to the building and walked in.

The group looked at one another and then at the door that was still open. Faith stepped in behind Willow and soon the others followed.

"Red I love your style here but I don't think they would let us stay even if we promise to make Scifi back there to cook all their meals." Faith replied looking around in awe.

The place was nice, classic almost, with nice polished floors and large art work on the walls. The front was set up like a living room. Of course these places were, supposed to have homey vibes to them right?

"It's not a resort guys, it's a house. Hey music I hear music." Willow finally said she headed down a long hallway that led to the back of the house.

"Oh so that thing you had to do was adding, Breaking and Entering onto our criminal records?"  
Dawn whispered after the redhead.

Willow was stopped at a table by the back door and was looking at it in horror, when the group caught up with her. On the table lay a pile of papers all looked like they had the same thing on them. Giles picked one up and looked at it and let out a gasp. It was an obituary, Willows obituary.

"They think I am dead." she whispered just before she walked out the door and in the middle of her own funeral just as the last cords of the song faded.

"I don't know if I should be impressed or insulted." she said once the music had stopped playing and she knew the people could hear her.

Heads turned to look at her and several people gasped some people's mouths dropped open in shock and two of the old ladies rushed to Willow, one of them muttering in Hebrew.

Willow hugged the women as her friends watch from behind her. Her eyes scanned the crowd and then landed on the two eldest men there.

"Well.." she started but was interrupted.

"Willow Daniel Rosenberg don't you EVER do that again. We thought you were dead." the old woman who had muttered, scolded.

Willow looked at her, and she couldn't help what she said next, she really couldn't.

"So I see Grammy. Nice choice for a casket what's in it? Bricks? This isn't a traditional Jewish funeral service." she replied tilting her head to the side.

"Don't talk to your grandmother like that young lady. I'll whip you good. Well your dad told us how you denounced the Jewish customs for the newer ways so we thought this would be better suited for you." came the remark from a tall dark haired man with a slight beard and mustache on his face. He looked pretty built from were Buffy and the others were standing. There were three other guys beside him, all of them had brown hair cut short. All four of them had their arms crossed and looked at Willow with stern looks.

Willow on the other hand wasn't intimidated. She looked at the one that had spoken and snorted. Giles had never seen her so careless with others.

"Yep, sure Uncle Jeremiah, and thanks I think." she retorted only to be popped up side the head by her grandmother. Who looked at Willow

with a look that read 'don't-sass-us.' Willow turned to look at her confused friends and asked.

"Is that what I look like with the resolve face?" she received, nods from them. "Cool I look like you Grammy."

"Why didn't you call and let us know you are okay after Sunnydale sunk in we were worried sick." came the question from one of the eldest men there.

"Well I would have but you have that pesky phone system that won't even ring if the phone number that is being called from isn't pre-programmed into the phone."

"Where's your cell?" her uncle Jeremiah asked.

Willow looked at them batted her eyes, doing little half twists with the upper half of her body.

"It's at the bottom of the Sunnydale crater." she said in the sweetest voice she could muster.

Faith gave a silent snicker at the redhead's antics; she suspected that they were seeing the true Willow now.

One of the boys, who had dirty blond hair and brown eyes, took out his phone and dialed a number. After a few seconds he started laughing, those around him looked at him.

"I want the same service plan she has." he said as he put the phone on speaker and her ring back blared though the small holes.

Willows mouth feel open in shock, "It's been four days! It's still has power?"

"That's what you ask? It still has power? Your phone is at the bottom of a crater and is still getting service and you are amazed it still has power?" one of the men in front asked.

"Sorry there Uncle Iezekiel I'm a little shocked here." she muttered.

Her grandmother looked at her husband.

"Ichabod she needs a new cell phone."

"I know Gail. We will go tomorrow." he said

The Sunnydale group looked at one another and then at Willow.

"Um Wills. Your grandfathers name is Ichabod?" Buffy asked in slight wonder.

Willow nodded her head, "Yep that's my Grandpa, Ichabod Rosenberg, Grandma, Gail. Aunt Nataile, she and Uncle Jeremiah met when he went to Britain years ago, as my cousins Natanael and Joshua well be happy to know that their parents WERE married before, either of them were born. Aunt Abagail and Darren, their three sons Zachariah, Ian, and John. Uncle Isaiah and Aunt Lillian their three boys Noah and Philip, Liam. Uncle Iezekiel and Aunt Moran, and that there is their three boys Efren, Judah, and Isaak."  
"Alrighty well I will never be able to watch the movie Sleepy Hallow and not think of your grandpa now. Two questions why are two of your aunts glaring at one another? Was your Uncle Iezekiel a twin and your grandma gave the other one up, and he turned into an evil woman hating preacher man who pokes peoples eyes out?" Dawn replied.

"Oh that's Aunt Abagail and Aunt Lillian they don't really get along with each other at times, I think it has something to do with Ian and Philip blaming each other for a prank gone bad years ago. Neither one of them wanted to admit that their little boy could do such a thing so they fight periodically. No I did notice the very uncanny similarities between Calab and Uncle Zek though,  
scared the crap out of me at the vineyard when I saw him." Willow said as two blonde twin girls rushed up to her and gave her one of the biggest group hugs.

"Who are your friends bubee?" Willows grandmother asked her.

Her grandmother was always using Yiddish vocabulary. She wasn't the only one to use it most of the family would say something Yiddish periodically.

"The blond is Buffy Summers, my best friend and the little brunet beside her is, Dawn her sister.  
The last girl is Faith, we are all good friends." Willow said introducing her friends but was interrupted by her uncle.

"I have a question. Why is there an zayde hanging out with a bunch of kids?" her uncle Darren asked.

Willow's mouth fell open. "He is not a zayde, he's our grownup friend, uh...not in a perverted way. He's our mentor. He was our high school librarian." she replied defending Giles.

"You would befriend the school librarian, Willow." Natanael said.

"Well at least I know where the library is Natanael Rosenberg. Now you hold your tongue or I'll potch you." Willow glared at him.

"Nice Nat get the Princess mad at you." Noah said from beside him.

"Ah shut up Noah." Natanael said.

"Willow, um you forgot a few of your friends in all the bopkes." her grandfather said trying to get her attention back on the introductions.

"Oy! Oh ok this is Giles, this is Andrew, he is kind of our hostage...and this is Xander." she said as she hugged Xanders arm.

All eyes turned to him after the intro.

"This is the infamous Xander?" Uncle Darren asked once again but his voice held a note of pride.

"Yep this is my Xander shaped buddy." Willow smiled.

"Oh I get it now." Zachariah said aloud.

Everyone looked over at him in confusion. Willow didn't know what he meant and the rest of the scoobies sure didn't.

"You get what Zachariah?" Uncle Jer asked.

"Buffy... Buffy is Bunny that Aunt Sheila is always being a Yenta about." the boy said.

A collective of 'OH' came from the family as realization dawned on them.

"Speaking of which, where are mom and dad?" Willow asked fearing the answer.

"Oh I had to zetz your dad on the head. He was in such a stage it gave me a headache. He's up stairs sleeping it off." Jeremiah said.

Willow glared at her uncle.

"You gave my dad a concussion?"

"Yep. I didn't mean to hit him so hard but well you know me and my strength."

"Well I'll let him sleep and go see him and mom in a bit." Willow said as she hugged one of her cousins.

A look was exchanged by all of her family. There was something that they weren't saying. She knew those looks.

"Well um, your mom isn't here." her grandma said.

Willow looked at them and then it dawned on her. Her mom wasn't there, it wasn't a she's not there she ran out for ice, no she wasn't there as in not in Michigan.

"She didn't come to my funeral?" Willow asked looking at her grandmother with hurt in her eyes.

"She said and I quote; 'I don't see the point in missing work, it's not like my going is gonna bring her back.' I'd like to zetz her a few times. I really don't see how you came from that. I still think you were made in a test tube and your dad didn't have to sleep with that to make you." Iezekiel said trying to make her laugh but the tears were shining in her eyes.

"Oh, bubee come here. It doesn't matter, we all knew what she was like. Did you really aspect her to?" Gail asked.

"Well yeah I mean I am her only child and it is, supposed to be my funeral." Willow said into her shirt.

Her grandmother led her back into the house and into the living room. They sat down on the sofa as Willow cried about how her own mother wasn't at her funeral. Both groups, family and friends all moved into the house and silently waited for Willow to stop crying. Everyone stood to the side and watched.

The front door opened and closed and five mouths dropped to the floor in shock.

"What?" Buffy said pointing at the new comer.

He looked around the room and spotted Willow and her grandma on the sofa. He rushed forward and wrapped his arms around the redhead, and started whispering in her ear, all the Buffy's mouth was wide open and she was pointing. The other Sunnydale members weren't doing much better.

As her crying slowed he looked down and realized she was asleep. He stood up taking her with him, and carried her up the stairs and out of sight. Willows family led her friends over to the sofa and chairs, the group still in shock. They had no idea why they were in shock. Their new guest never returned but Willows dad Ira did join them. He looked at the group then at his mother.

"She's upstairs, cried herself to sleep over that nebish woman you call a wife." his mom said.

"Is she okay?" Ira asked as he took a step toward the stairs.

"Cookie is with her." his brother Isaiah said.

"When did he get here?"

"About thirty minutes ago."

Everyone sat around no-one knew what to do. They were all watching her friends start to come out of their shock induced comas.  
Gail patted Andrew on the back as his eyes avoided everyone as he was waiting for his friends to come out of their shock.

"Would you like something to eat?" she asked him. The boy looked like he could use something to eat, they all looked starved. His head turned to her and his eyes were wide.

"You want me to cook? Willow could tell you I'm a good cook, I make meals all the time. I'm really good at baking things, I can make, cakes and cookies." he rambled until someone laughed.

"I think he picked up a habit from Willow. Come on man lets get you some de-cafe and some food." said one Willows cousins as he pulled Andrew up.

"Philip behave. Don't scare the poor boy." Gail called out to him.

As the group started to move again everyone relaxed. Giles started up a conversation with Ira and Ichabod.. Buffy and Faith started talking with some of Willows cousins. Xander sat on the bottom of the steps looking up ever so often. Dawn was having a very entertaining conversation with Willows cousin Zachariah .

"That can't be true!" she exclaimed.

All eyes looked at the pair.

"Willow's really the only girl in the family?" she asked looking at Gail.

"Yes Willow is the first girl to be born in the Rosenberg family in nearly five generations'. We all thought that we were incapable of have girls but Ira had to be the golden son and go and have a daughter. Which is why the boys called her princess earlier." Jeremiah said as he sat down with a plate of food.

"I have a question. It seemed terrible rude of Willow to forget to introduce some of her family and well I know how her constant chattering can sidetrack her, but who are the rest of these people?" Giles asked Ira.

The man laughed.

"Oh I know how my daughter's babbling can be, but these are not Willows family. These are Cookies family. See that there is Gerardo Miller his wife Isabella Miller, their boys Anthony and Michelangelo Miller. Their daughter in laws Selvia and Lia Miller. Their grandsons, Cookie of course, but also Jenoah, and then finally their granddaughters: Sara, Alessa, the twins Kyara and Karisa, Katrina, Anabelle, Cara, Carissa, Arianna, Rosabella, and Mariella. My dad and Gerardo have been best friends for years. So all the kids know each other, and they all adore Willow. Well Cookie cares more about her then any one I had ever seen, I honestly think the boy loves my daughter. Which is good he's a good guy."

Giles just nodded his head, it did seem that all the kids really had been thrilled to see Willow,  
and 'Cookie' had gone right to her.  
Meanwhile upstairs

Willow slowly opened her eyes. She silently groaned, her head was killing her she must have cried a lot, she closed her eyes again to fight off the headache. She felt something being pressed against her lips, she opened her eyes again. Bright blue eyes stared down at her a soft smile on the owners face. She opened her mouth and the two aspirin were placed in, a glass of water was placed on her lips.

"Swallow."

Willow followed orders and swallowed the pills. She took one more gulp of water and looked up at her helper.

"Aren't you supposed to be in Africa." she asked.

"Aren't you supposed to be dead?" he retorted.

Willow thought it over, shrugged and grinned.

"Good point."

He leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers.

"Don't you ever do that to me again. I almost punched my CO after grandpa called me and told me about Sunnydale." he said as he kissed her head.

"Well I would have called but my phone is at the bottom of the crater. Grandpa is taking me to get a new one tomorrow." she said as she sat up.

He thought back to the group down stairs and chuckled.

"If their reactions where anything to go on I'm guessing you never told your friends you knew me." he said.

"No I never got around to it." she said.

He gave a slight laugh. "I could tell."

"Come on we should head down there. Dad is probably up by now and I really want to see him."  
Willow said as she sat up but was stopped by the arms around her waist.

She fell back onto her bed and looked up at him. He was leaning over smiling down at her. He leaned his head on hers once again saying, "I really missed you Nature Girl." as his lips met hers.

She kissed him back. It was a slight peck nothing more. They had shared small kisses like this most of their lives, it was all the same for them.

"Come on Nature lets, go see how badly your friends want to kill me now." he said as he stood up and dragged her with him.

"I'm glade you got to come home. I missed you Cookie boy." she said as he opened the door and the two of them headed down the stairs to the living room.

They stepped into the room and found the families sitting around chatting and laughing. Willow didn't see any of her friends.

Ira rushed up to her and hugged her. She never thought that she would be so happy to see her dad, but she knew he loved her. She returned the hug and sat down next to him on the sofa and Cookie sat on the other side of her.

"I am so happy that you are okay. Don't worry they already told, me why you didn't call, so I'm not mad. I do want to ask you though, how would you feel about my filing for divorce from your mom?"

Willow looked at him and smiled, not a sweet smile that everyone was used to but a smile full of malice. "I think you should save your money and let Uncle Jer make her some concrete boots and matching pants."

Everyone raised their eyebrows at her reaction. She was the one constant in both families the only one that never used those measures' as a revenge method. Her dad looked at her and was awed by the amount of hatred in her eyes. He backed away a bit in fear.

"I always new she was my niece." Jeremiah said as he smiled at Ira.

Willow grinned. She glanced around, and still didn't see any of the Sunnydale gang. She turned to her grandmother and asked where they were.

"Oh well that Dawn girl had to use the restroom and when she didn't come back uh.,, Buffy?  
Yeah Buffy and Faith wasn't it, went looking for her and well when they didn't show back up the boys went to find them."

Willow started laughing, "So they're lost?"

"Pretty much." came the answer from her grandpa.

Willow grinned even more and winked at her family. She opened her mouth and shouted.

"Marco!"

She waited a split second before someone from somewhere in the house shouted, "Willow?!"

"That's not the name of the game Dawnie." Willow yelled back. She was trying to hold her laughter in, she really was. "Where are you? Describe the room."

"Uh, it kind of looks like your dream room. Allot of computers and stuff." Buffy's voice yelled back.

"OH that's the security room. Three doors to the left and then one to the right and four to the left and you'll be back in here." Willow called out.

She could hear the group arguing over the directions as they moved closer to the room. She giggled when she heard Faith say,"Scifi shut up or I will throw you from the roof." It wasn't long after the threat that there was a squeal and Andrew came running into the room with Faith hot on his tail. Willow raised her eyebrow at the two.

"What did you do Andrew?" Willow asked as he dodge Faith.

"Come here SciFi." the brunet said as she lunged for Andrew and feel into one of Willows cousins lap.

"I don't know, she's crazy I tell you!"

Faith glared daggers at Andrew from Willows cousins lap. The cousin whom, even though they had all been introduced she still had no idea of his name but he apparently decided to wrap his arms are her waist and keep her in his lap. His leg started bouncing, which caused her to bounce,  
which earned him looks from the rest of the scoobies as they walked into the room.

"Huh why is Faith in his lap?" Dawn asked as she sat next to Zachariah, the two of thembecomingomeing fast friends.

"She couldn't resist how handsome I am." Faiths seat replied.

The laugh from next to Willow drew the scoobies attention.

"Efren you really are full of it. I doubt Faith thought you were that handsome." Cookie says as he grinned at Efren.

"Bite me Cookie." Efren said as he rolled his eyes.

"Cookie?" five voices said as one.

Buffy's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline. Faith, still in Efren's lap, was grinning and looking at him funny. Dawn was giggling next to Zachariah. Xander was staring at Cookie as if he was going to bust out laughing.

"Yeah nickname. I call her Nature girl."

"You call him Cookie because?" Faith asked waving her hands in front of her asking for an explanation.

Willow looked at Faith and smiled.

"I call him that because his name is a type of cookie."

"Willow is a tree in nature so she's Nature girl. Yeah she's my Nature girl and no one else can have her all mine."

Willow turned to look at him. Ah crap he knew he shouldn't have said that last part. Yep he was going to get it.

"What?" she asked.

"Uh oh you shouldn't of said that Graham wife-y poo is upset." Willow's Uncle Iezekiel replied.

Buffy's eyes widened as she looked at Willow. Xander's mouth dropped open in shock. Faith looked from Willow to Graham and back again. Dawn looked like her face froze in shock. Giles had ripped his glasses from his head and was whipping them with his shirt. Andrew shrugged and waved at Graham.

"Willow I can't believe you. You married him? After what his best friend did to me? After what he TALKED his best friend into doing to me! I can't believe you would do this to me, some best friend you are." Buffy cried at Willow.

"Well you brought it on yourself, if you hadn't of treated him like crap maybe he would have stuck around. Besides you had your chance and you never showed so it's your fault." Graham said as he looked at the blond.

Buffy glared at him, but he wasn't as afraid of her as he was when Willow turned to look at him and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Graham Anthony Miller you did not just say that." Willow asked with a lot malice in her voice.

"I'll be shutting up now dear." he said putting his head down staring at the floor.

Andrew and Xander looked at each other grinned and as one along with every male family member from both sides made the whipped sound and movement. Faith laughed, Dawn giggled and Giles looked down at the floor. Buffy huffed at him, turned and walked out.

Willow was still glaring at Graham. He looked around at her family then at his with pleading eyes.

"Help?" he said in a small voice.

"There is no helping you. You can be such a..." Willow faltered but Graham's cousin was there in a heartbeat to help.

"An Asino?" Carissa supplied.

"Rissa!" Graham shouted in shock at her.

"What's that mean?" Dawn asked.

"Think donkey." came the reply from one of the twin girls Dawn wasn't able to tell them apart yet.

"Yeah that will work. I can't believe you are being so mean to Buffy. She's right you know, you did talk Riley into leaving. It took me a month to fix my best friend after your best friend ripped her heart out and did the Cha-cha all over it. Then when she was finale okay with it, he shows back up MARRIED!"

"It took me three months to fix my best friend. It took three months after that for him to even look at a female again, and I doubt he did the Cha-cha I don't think that boy can dance his way out of a paper bag. Sam and Riley are no longer together, after that trip to Sunnydale about two months later she was killed in a training accident." Graham said now facing Willow.

"Well that's nice, you make my best friend cry and insult yours, what is wrong with you? I'm sorry to hear about Sam tell Riley we are sorry. Now if you will excuse me I'm going to gonna go check on her. Oh and just so you know. She did."

Graham's face became confused as he stared at her.

"She did what?" he asked.

"That night, she did show up. She watched as the helicopter carried him away. She was twenty feet below him yelling out his name, trying to get his attention, if you had just waited two more minutes my best friend wouldn't of been so heart broken."

Willow gave him a small smile, stood up on her tip toes popped him on the head and went off to find Buffy.

She heard Sara say "Lui sicuro metta il suo piede in lui questa durata. Come fa il Suo tast di scarpa?" as she left the room.

She walked down the hall and looked into each room as she passed looking for her best friend.  
She reached the storage room and heard a sniffle. She opened the door and stepped through. She saw Buffy sitting on a chair by a create.

"I should have known you would find the storage room." Willow said as she sat down next to Buffy.

"I can't believe that you would do that after everything he did. I mean, he talked Riley into leaving me, then you married him?" Buffy said looking up at her with tears running down her face. Her eyes red from all the crying. tear tracks ran the length of her face.

Willow laughed. Buffy looked at her.

"Wills this is not funny."

"Yes it is. Buffy. Look here is the deal I've known Cookie... Graham a very long time. Our grandfathers are best friends, have been for years. Anyway the point is Graham has been a friend for pretty much my whole life. Look he didn't mean what he said, at least he better have not, if he knows what's good for him. Besides we were kids when we got 'married' I was ten he was thirteen. I just took the opportunity to come back to the family home when I saw the chance. I'm sorry."

"Why didn't you ever say anything. Like oh I don't know when we were dealing with Adam and the Initiative." Buffy replied as she wacked the create next to her a whole left in it's place.  
Buffy's eyes looked at the whole she had created, she reached down and picked out the black object that had partly fallen out of the hole.

"Uh Wills? Your family wouldn't happen to be like a large group of cops would they?" she asked holding up the gun.

Willows eyes widened as she looked at what Buffy held. She stood up and rushed out of the room, Buffy followed.

"Wills? Willow? Nature Girl?? Hello. What the heck?"

Willow rushed back toward the living room. She stepped in the room and glared at her Jeremiah.

"Hey Prin..." he started but stopped when he saw the deathly look in her eyes.

"Wills gezz girl, I never knew you were that fast. What's with the mass weapon collection though?" Buffy asked as she rushed into the room.

All of the faces from both families went from smiles to frowns at Buffy's question.

"Now do you see why I'm mad Uncle Jer? What would have happened if Dawnie or one of the others had been the one to come across them?" Willow asked.

"Willow calm down. They came in early this morning we hadn't had time to put them up, what with planning your funeral and all." Ira said standing up. He knew beside his dad and Graham he was the only other one that could calm her down.

"Oh. Well I still think that it was a bad move leaving them in the open like that." she replied.

"They were in the storage room how is that leaving them in the open? Besides how did you get into that? The crate was locked." her grandfather said as he reached for the weapon.

"Oh I broke the crate on accident." Buffy said.

"How? That thing was solid oak it took all of us and a dolly just to move it." Philip said as he looked at the blond. Buffy's eyes went wide as she looked at her friends.

"Buffy's the Vampire Slayer. Well actually she and Faith are Slayers but that would be the cliff-notes version of it." a voice said from the sofa.

Everyone turned to look at the speaker Buffy's eyes went even wider.

"Dad..." Willow started but was interrupted by her father.

"I know all about Sunnydale. I knew it was different, I was away enough to notice." Ira stated as he looked at his daughter and her friends. "We all knew about it. That's why Graham asked to be transferred there after basic, he wanted to be able to protect you and your friends, without you knowing of course."

"Okay what the heck Wills? Your family and Cookie Dough boy's family are really freaking me out. You said this was your family home, did your family win the lotto or rob a bank?" Buffy said looking to her best friend.

Willow looked from her family to her friends and laughed again.

"No my family didn't rob a bank, recently, that I know of." she replied with a nervous giggle.

"What do you mean recently?" Faith asked more than a little intrigued.

Willow was looking at anything other than her friends, and trying to avoid eye contact. Oh she was about to blow the secret in a big way. She had never really meant to keep it from her friends she just never thought it would be an important factor.

"Well you see, uh, my grandpa...he is..uh, well he is the Capo of the Jewish Mafia." was the reply that none of the Sunnydale survivors were prepared for.

"Your grandfather is a, what for the, what? Willow! You mean to tell me that I was best friends with the Princess for the Jewish Mafia? The granddaughter of a petty criminal." Buffy said now very angry.

"My family is the Italian Mafia." Graham said pointing to his own family.

Willow's face took on a look of confusion and then anger as she looked at Buffy.

"Was? What do you mean was? Are you saying you don't want to be my friend anymore? What?  
Petty criminal? I will have you know my family is very well respected, and it's not all crime.  
They all have legitimate jobs. Uncle Darren is a doctor. Uncle Jer is a business investment banker. Uncle Zek is a lawyer."

Buffy ran her hand through her blonde hair which had fallen out of the bun and looked at the floor then back up at the face of the girl who she loved like a sister for seven years.

"I don't know. I honestly don't know. I guess, they just like to keep crates full of guns in case our armed forces run out huh?" the blond said and walked out the door.

"B? Oh come on!" Faith said as she got up and took off after Buffy.

Willow's face went from confusion to shock, she really hadn't thought that Buffy would react that why. The redhead looked at the remaining group of friends. Dawn was looking at her then at Zac then back at her.

"I'm surprised she didn't drag you out with her." Willow said to the girl.

"She could have tried. It's alright just give her time to adjust to all this. Besides we all know Buffy can be;"

"Dawn." Giles warned the girl.

"I was gonna say an asino." which earned her grins from Graham's family.

"Sure you were Dawnie." Xander added smiling at the girl. "Is all your family members part of it?"

Willow nodded her head. She sat down next to Graham and explained everything. How her family was proud to be in the Mafia. They really weren't about petty crime, they only killed if they had to which most of the time they didn't. After Willow was born they all decide that she could be a very big gambling chip since she was the only girl, so Ira and Sheila moved to Sunnydale when she was two. Sheila continued her work as a therapist and Ira continued working with his family. Willow really couldn't believe Buffy flipped out like that.

**A/N:  
I am currently looking for a Beta Reader for this story if you are interested IM me or leave it in a review. Speaking of review I'll make cookies for you if you leave one.**

**Translations:  
Lui sicuro metta il suo piede in lui questa durata. Come fa il Suo tast di scarpa? (He sure put his foot in it this time. How does your shoe tast?)**

**Asion (Donkey, Jackass)**


	2. Chapter 2

Spoilers: Kind of AU threw some of the seasons. Which means that some things in the Buffy verse happened and some of them didn't, so if you haven't seen the whole series or don't know how it ended, don't read.  
Things that didn't happen in the Buffyvers for this story.  
wasn't evil. Alan got to the Slayers in time and a plan was hatched.  
and Willow were just friends.  
was killed and Willow went slightly evil she tracked Warren and put him in jail he was killed in prison by a fellow inmate 4. Anya is dead. She wasn't a vengeance demon just a normal girl that had transferred to Sunnydale during Senior year 5. No Spuffy 6. Robin and Faith were just a one time thing.  
7. The Slayers-in-training are all gone they went their separate ways after the fight 8. Kennedy and Willow were never together.  
9. Forrest didn't die he was injured in the finale showdown in the Initiative and was given an honorable discharge 10. Dawn is real.  
11. Buffy did die fighting Glory they both fell threw the portal. Willow brought Buffy back though.  
12. No Oz and Willow 13. Willow never had a thing for Xander.  
A/N: Takes place after the series finale. Thank you all who are enjoying this story. I'm so sorry that is has taken this long to get chapter 2 up I just didn't know if anyone was reading.

Faith ran after Buffy. She had already made it back to the bus. The blonde was sitting in the front sit staring off into space. Faith sat down across from her.

"Don't you think you were a little hard on Red in there."

Buffy snapped out of her stupor, glared at her sister slayer.

"What? No. Faith don't you get it. Our lives are dangerous enough now she's going to throw us in with the Mafia? I mean I thought we were supposed to live normal lives now."

"Well to Red this is normal, but even if it wasn't it's nothing to throw a seven year friendship down the tubes for. You know what I think? I think you are jealous."

"Me? Of what?" Buffy asked getting mad at her now.

"Of Red. For having this little secret about her family that you never knew. For having a family that isn't as boring and plain as she always led us to believe. For after seven years of Buffy, Willow is in the spotlight of something important that has nothing to do with the supernatural. Of the fact that Willow had a whole different life outside of Sunnydale where she was a big prize and you can't deal that she got a happy ending with her family."

Faith watched as the emotions played across the face of her friend. She knew that she had been a little harsh with Buffy but she had to know that they weren't in Sunnydale and it wasn't about her anymore, this was Willow's town.

Buffy looked from the ground back up. Her eyes closed as she thought about it all. She loved Willow like a sister, and she had no right to get so angry about Willows family.

The saying you can't choose your family came to mind. She really was happy for Willow she was just upset that the redhead had never mentioned that she was a Mafia kid.

"I'm a really bad friend aren't I." the blonde said as she ran her hand through her hair again.

"No you just need to learn to accept that not everything is about you. I will tell you this though Red looked about ready to cry when you walked out, she really thinks you are throwing a seven year friendship down the tubes. If you ask me I think it's pretty hot that her family is Mafia, I mean, I've always been somewhat intrigued by it. It's cool to know them."

"You just have a thing for Efron." Buffy said rolling her eyes smiling at Faith.

"Efren not Efron, and so what. I mean, think about it B, these guys get the whole putting your life on the line deal. They don't look down on us for it and get this they seem like nice people."

"You aren't gonna join them are you?" Buffy asked a bit worried as the two started back toward the house.

Faith gave an evil smirk and her eyes shown with pure mischief.

"Maybe. Think about it, the Mafias own Slayers. Plus think how hot I would look holding a gun.  
I'd look totally sexy."

Buffy rolled her eyes once more as they entered the house again only to find Gail and Isabella walking out to the doorway.

"Oh there you two are. Look dear, I know I don't know you very well but may I have a word with you?" Gail asked looking at Buffy.

The blonde nodded her head, Gail reached up and led both Buffy and Faith into a room just to the right of the stairs. The room was decked out with armchairs and sofas. The walls where a dark colored wood pattern and the floor was burgundy carpet. The sofas were a deep green color and the chairs were made to match.

"Have a seat please." Gail said as Isabella closed the door behind them.

The two slayers sat in the chairs and faced the two Mafia wives. Faith wasn't showing any fear,  
which that probably went with her whole obsession with the organization. Buffy was tucking her hair behind her ear, fear seeping through her at what it was Willows grandmother was going to say. No doubt the older woman will go off on her for the way she had talked to her best friend,  
then, Jeremiah would bury her somewhere in the yard, never to be seen again.

"Listen I would just like to say a few things to you. I know how fond of you Willow is she is always ranting about you when I talk to her. For seven years it was always, "You should meet Buffy, you'll love her." or "I wish you could know Buffy like I do, she's an amazing person." or the most recent, "I don't know what I would do without Buffy, I love her as if she is my sister." I know that everything you know about Mafia life, you no doubt, got from movies,  
and TV. Yes it is true we do perform the occasionally petty crime but we are first and foremost a family that loves one another. I hope, I am not going to far on a limb when I say that we feel that you and the rest of, what did Willow call you, oh right the Scoobies, are part of that family. I feel very close to all of you, a love that only a grandmother could feel. I will say this though, if you ever intentionally hurt my granddaughter like that again, I'll make sure no one ever finds your body and I know you know that I am not lying."

Buffy swallowed as she sat there staring into the eyes of Gail and she knew ever word against her life that the elder woman had spoken was truth.

"Yes mama. I promise I'll behave."

Faith raised her hand. Gail pinned her with a questioning look.

"Yes?"

"Is Efren single?"

Gail, Isabella, Faith, and Buffy joined the rest of the group. Willow looked up at them, a sad look entering her green eyes when she saw Buffy. The blonde slayer rushed to the redhead and threw her arms around her neck.

"I'm sorry, I just freaked. I'm such a bad friend. Please forgive me?" Buffy said.

Willow hugged her back just as tight and laughed.

"No you aren't. Of course I forgive you. I'm sorry I never told you about it."  
Willow said as she grinned.

"Aw all's well in Scoobies Land once more." Dawn said as she threw herself at the two. Willow and Buffy laughed and wrapped their arms around her.

Xander rushed forward wrapping his arms around all three of the girls. Faith was yanked into the hug by a very forceful Buffy. Giles watched as Andrew hopped from foot to foot much to the amusement of Philip before running forward and throwing his arms around the group, which made them all fall to the ground, in a heap.

"ANDREW!" Buffy shouted after a few seconds.  
"SCIFI! Faith growled.  
"DUDE!" Xander yelped.  
"NERD!" Dawn laughed.  
"CAN'T BREATH!" Willow called reaching for Giles hand.

Giles gently pulled Willow into a standing position as the others tried to untangle themselves.

Faith punched Andrew in the arm, which he grabbed and yelped that it hurt and she used full slayer strength. Buffy popped him on the head. Xander just shoved him and Dawn kicked him.  
Willow just smiled at the boy, she really didn't see the need to abuse him he really didn't mean to cause the domino affect.

Graham looked down at his watch, his flight would leave in an hour and if he wasn't on he would be in some major trouble. He stood up walked over to his dad.

"I've got to go dad. My flight." he whispered his eyes never leaving Willow.

"How long?" Anthony asked looking to his only son.

"It leaves in an hour." he replied.

"Can't miss it?"

Graham finally looked away from Willow to pin his dad with a look that said what a stupid thing that would be.

"I mean you can't take a private plane? It's just that you haven't really had time to visit."

"What do you want me to do dad, sky dive from a private plane? I can see how my C.O. would love that. I mean, they didn't even want to let me come home for this but I told them the story,  
and they finally caved but I have to be on that plane, or else."

"Ok ok. Well I guess you better tell everyone goodbye so you can get going."  
Anthony replied.

Graham nodded and walked over to his mom, whispered he had a plane to catch and was soon saying goodbye to his grandparents and uncle and aunt.

"Be careful huh Gray." his Uncle said giving him a hug.

Soon the rest of his family realized that he had to leave so they all hugged him and wished him safety. Willow watched from beside her grandmother as the other family in the room said goodbye to him. She wanted to hug him and tell him to be careful. He shook hands with Giles and Xander, hugged Dawn and apologized to Buffy for his part in her heartbreak,  
Faith nodded at him and Andrew waved goodbye. He stepped in front of Willow at last and she tried to fight the tears that were threatening to fall. She was really going to miss him.

"Be careful okay?" she whispered as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She felt his go around her waist and in a heartbeat she was in the air dangling from his neck.  
Her face was buried into his neck and she let some tears fall. His face was buried in her hair.

"You too." he said. "I don't want to have to tell my CO that my wife died again.  
He'll probably think that I lied this time anyway."

"Don't get dead okay? I'd be really cranky if you died and a cranky Willow is not a happy Willow." she said as she felt him sitting her back on her feet.

"I kind of love you, you know that?" he whispered in her ear, kissed her cheek,  
then he let her go,  
he looked to Xander and said, "Take care of her, or my uncle will have permission to kill." and was out the door.

Willow plopped down on the sofa and looked from her lap to her grandmother beside her. It didn't take her long before she had her face buried into the skirt Gail wore as the tears fell.

Buffy and Faith looked at one another reached over, and pulled Willow into another hug. She felt them led her upstairs she heard Dawn not far from them. She was still so upset she never realized that her grandmother led them to her room so she could cry in private. She really did love her friends, but right now she had to cry, for Sunnydale, for her father who had it rough the last few days, for her friends who she had dragged into the Mafia world, and for Graham whom, she may never see again.

The girls stayed with her till she fell asleep again. They knew how rough the last four days had been, they had lived it too. Buffy slowly got up and Faith followed. Dawn had already reached the door. The three of them made their way into the hall and soon found three doors with letter on them one to each of them.

Buffy reached up and yanked hers off, she opend and found it was a letter from Gail.

'Buffy,  
This will be your room till you kids can make other arrangements. I put you all near each other so none of you would be far from one another. I gave Dawn her own room because I've heard the horror stories from the Miller girls about how if you have to share then one of you would end up dead, and since you've all worked so hard to stay alive I didn't want it to be for nothing. You each have a private bath and we've stocked the closet and dresser with some clean clothes till you can all go and get some new wardrobes. If you have any questions or concerns please don't hesitate to talk with me or anyone else, we really aren't as bad as the movies make Mafia families out to be.  
Dinner is in two hours, dress formal.

Sincerely,

Grandma Gail.'

Buffy turned to see Dawn and Faith finishing, reading their letters. Dawn waved goodbye and told them she was going to check out her room, then disappeared behind the door.  
Faith smiled and tilted her head toward her own room then walked in.

Buffy opened her own door and took in the room. It was huge. She had always thought Willows room was big cause she was the only girl and stuff but Buffy found that her room was just as big as Willows. The bed was the same kind, a King size bed, the walls were a very pretty wood paneled style and the carpet was dark red. She walked to the bathroom and wanted to cry, it was big too. It had a sauna type tube with jets, she loved this place. She was going to spend as much time in here as possible.

Deciding that she should get ready for dinner she walked over to the closet to pick out clean clothes. Her mouth fell open when she saw the clothes, thought she shouldn't have been surprised, but the clothes were all designers clothes, elegant designer clothes.  
She looked through them and laughed out loud. If Willow had worn any of them during high school she would have been very popular cause they were way past anything Cordelia Chase had ever worn. Picking out a pretty knee length pink dress with white lace trim and low cut front out and went to wash up.  
After she got dressed and fixed her hair she went down the stairs to see who else had gotten done.

"Hello Buffy." Ichabod said as she stepped into the living room with all the male members of the Rosenberg clan. She could hear the women in the dinning room setting the table,  
she guessed that was one thing about a funeral you didn't have to cook dinner.

"Hello Mr. Rosenberg." she said as she sat down in a chair beside Willows dad.

"Buffy I wanted to talk to you about something." Ira said looking at the blonde that his daughter thought of as a sister.

"Oh sure." Buffy said looking at him giving him all her attention.

"It's about earlier." he started but was interrupted by Buffy.

"If this is about the way I acted earlier than Grandma Gail already read me the riot act. I'll behave." Buffy said as Xander and Andrew stepped into the room.

They both wore, form fitting shirts and slacks. Xander wore a white undershirt with a type of drawing on it but it couldn't be seen under the pinstriped blazer he had on.  
Like Xander, Andrew wore a white undershirt but he wore a dark blue cowboy styled shirt over it.  
They looked very nice. She smiled at them, well she smiled at Xander but Andrew was there too so,  
they waved.

Giles was the next one to join the group, he wore a very nice traditional suite,  
so much better than his old tweed suites. Faith came down, she wore a very low cut deep red short dress, she looked very Faith. Efren choked on his water when he saw her which made Buffy think that the little crush Faith had on the boy was returned. Dawn joined them ten minutes later, she wearing a red dress, it was silk knee length. Buffy had never seen her little sister look so grown-up. Willow walked into the room a few minutes later and Buffy's jaw fell open.

Willows dress was a jet black silk just below the knees cut. She looked amazing Buffy wondered were the little bombshell had come from and what she had done with her best friend.

Xander looked over at the door way and the next thing that he knew he was on the ground.  
Andrew's eyes bugged out. Faith smirked at Willow. Dawn grinned and Giles walked over, and hugged her.

"You look stunning Willow." he whispered.

Willow looked up and smiled at him. She mouthed 'Thank you.' and walked over to hug her dad who was waiting for her. Icahbod reached out and grabbed her hand. It seemed Willow really was a princess.

Ichabod showed everyone into the dinning room as Gail, Nataile, Abagail, Lillian, and Moran finished putting the food on the table. Everyone sat down and soon they were all lost in the feast before them. Buffy couldn't remember the last time she had eaten that good,  
acutely she could it was before her mom had died.  
Dawn was talking with Zach again. The two of them seemed to get along very well.

"I hope you kids get a good nights sleep, we are going to have a very long day tomorrow."  
Ichabod said as he looked at the Scoobies.

"Sir?" Xander asked glancing at him.

"Tomorrow. The mall. I figured you would want to get cloths more, your own style. I doubt you want to go around in suites and what not all summer." Gail answered for him.

"Lets not forget cell phones and those new MP3 player things for Dawn, and whoever else wants one. I thought it would be a great present for the kids." Ichabod said as they finished eating.

"Do you mind if I call you Grandpa? You're way cooler than my grandfather." Dawn said as she was popped on the head by Buffy.

Ichabod laughed at them. He had always wanted more granddaughters, now he knew what it was like to have more than just Willow. He looked over at Gail and saw the same emotion in her eyes as well. Though they had just met this group of remarkable young adults. he could tell that she was already attached to them.

"You can call me whatever you would like Dawn. I don't mind." he replied to the question.

Dawn smiled at him.

"Well it's grandpa then." Dawn said as she nodded her head.

"Can I call you Gramps too?" Faith asked.

"Sure. If you want. Buffy same with you, Xander and Andrew as well."

"I love your family Willow." Xander replied as he smiled.

Willow laughed.


	3. Chapter 3

I don't own any one you recognize.  
A/n: I'm sorry about the wait guys the holidays are always a busy time for me.

Sorry for the way this is uploading I will fix it as soon as I can.

Reviews:  
Blue talith, thank you I am so glad you like it. Yes I plan on updating.

Lady: thank you so much for the review. I hope you enjoy all of my other stories just as much. I'm glad you like the Jewish Princess Willow attitude. Don't worry there will be more Willow/Graham scenes.

**On to the story!**

The next morning Willow was awakened when Dawn came running into her room and bouncing on her bed. She opened one eye and looked up at the girl. She was sitting there staring down at Willow and grinning. Willow slowly sat up and pinned her with a look.

"Dawnie, I know you are happy about the shopping trip, but.."

"Oh, grandma told me to tell you to wake your butt up," came the statement.

Willow rolled her eyes as Buffy and Faith entered the room and sat down on her bed. The four of

them chatted as Willow got up and got ready for the day ahead. Willow slipped on a baby blue

silk tank top, a pair of dark blue jeans, and a pair of black sneakers. Buffy had chosen a gray

sweater dress over black leggings with a pair of black high heels. Dawn chose a white tank top under a yellow windbreaker, dark blue jeans and brown high heels. Faith was in a pair of light blue jeans, with a striped tank top with a black leather waist length jacket, and a pair of sandals.

The four girls rushed out of the room and into the dining room. They joined everyone at the

table and started on their breakfast of cereal, toast, fruit and milk.

Soon after the group found themselves at the mall. Their first stop was Victoria's Secret, where Dawn had tried to buy black leather bras and Buffy had told her no. Faith snatched up as many as she could and winked at Dawn. After about two hours of 'Hey these don't fit me right, but I like them,' and 'Dawn put the thongs away,' and the one that had Xander's gag reflexes in over drive, 'Hey Red, these are eatable I'm sure Cookie would like them,' the group was in front of a very amused cashier and Gail had the money in hand.

The next stop was Rue 21 where Dawn had run wild grabbing just about all the clothes she

could find, even with Buffy telling her not to get too much and Gail telling her get as much as

she wanted. By the time she was done the cashier looked like she wanted to kiss Dawn, which made Buffy think that the girl was working on commission. Faith and Buffy found some clothes as well. Willow and Buffy then raided the skirts section. Andrew even found some clothes that he liked. Gail, once again, handed over the cash and they were on to the next store.

The girls groaned when they saw it was a guys clothing store. Xander and Andrew grinned and

pulled them in with them. The two boys gave the girls the same treatment that they had to endure

during the last three hours, and by the time that Gail handed over the money for the boys' purchases

Faith was ready to strangle Andrew if he threw one more article of clothing at her.

The next store was somewhere that they all grabbed something. The electronics department. They

each grabbed a Mp3 player, some headphones and carriers. Dawn got an iPod as well. Gail

watched as they all looked around, she went to the cashier and added seven TVs and DVD

players, and six laptops to the bill, she gave the address to where they were to be delivered. In the

end they each had their own Mp3 player that they carried to the counter. Willow had known what

her grandmother was up to the second she stepped up to the cashier so she knew everything

would be taken care of, and they didn't really need to get anything else. Willow did grab a basket

and fill it with DVDs. Some that everyone would like.

Next was the cell phone store. Each of them got a phone, and they even got one for Giles, who had

stayed at the house.

Three very long hours later the group left the mall, with arms full of bags and Gail's purse a lot

lighter than when she got there. After getting settled they headed home.

Gail pulled into the drive and five mouths dropped open when they saw the two delivery trucks.

Willow's eyes bugged out.

"Grandma how much did you have delivered?" the redhead asked as they climbed out of the car.

"Oh relax, it was just things I knew you kids would need," she replied handing Efren the bags in

her hands.

After they got all the stuff in the house the girls went through the bags in the living

room, much to the amusement of the family. Nathanael, Joshua, Zach, Ian, John, Noah, Phili,

Liam, Efren, Judah and Isaak all helped with the things that had been delivered. Faith and Buffy

were sorting through the new undergarments that they had gotten when they kicked the bag over.

Bras and panties went everywhere. Dawn was laughing so hard that she fell off the sofa; she had

looked up and saw that a pair of black, silky, g-string style panties had landed on Efren's head. His

brothers and cousins were laughing at him. That was when the rest of the family walked in. The

first thing that they saw was the heap of girls on the floor laughing and pointing at Efren. The

second thing that they saw was Noah holding up a black satin strapless bra with lace and

throwing it to Liam who hooked it onto Efren's chest. Then they saw the boys all fall to the floor

laughing. Efren looked up and his face was a mask of absolutely misery.

"Now I know why Willow was the only girl in the family. We didn't have to go through all the bra

and panties crap. I feel bad for Graham and Jenoah, all those sisters," he said tugging the panties

off his head, and pulling the bra over his head without unclasping the back, which was the reason

that both garments where yanked out of his hands.

"Efren don't you dare stretch my new bra. I will kill you," Willow said as she glared at him.

Eyebrows went up all around the room. Gail even looked surprised.

"That's your bra Willow? I thought for sure it was Faith's or Buffy's," Isaak said pointing to the

garment.

"Yes, it's mine so are the panties that landed on Ef. So what?"

At that information Efren started swatting at his hair like he had girl cooties in it. Buffy

grinned and Faith just walked up to Willow and threw her arms around her.

"Uh, Faith, what's wrong with you?" Willow asked a little confused.

"I knew our little girl would grow up one day B. I'm so proud," Faith said just before smacking

Efren on the head.

Willow looked at Buffy even more confused. Dawn was on the coach next to Zach laughing.

Xander was pretending he wasn't listening to the conversation, but the pink at the tip of his ears

let them know he was. Andrew looked just as confused as Willow.

"Just out of curiosity why did you buy black?" Buffy asked the redhead.

"I liked them?" Willow replied, unsure why it would matter what color her underwear was.

Dawn laughed even harder.

"Wills didn't Sheila teach you anything about sex?" Faith asked grinning.

"I don't think I want to hear this," Ira said as he rubbed his hands over his face.

"Yes, she did, but I don't see what my underwear have to do with it."

"Nothing. They have nothing to do with it. In fact, they're not even needed," Dawn replied who

had all eyes on her.

Gail looked at Darren and said, "We need to get her a prescription for birth control." Darren nodded.

Dawn rolled her eyes.

"It's common knowledge that a girl doesn't buy black underwear unless they want someone to see

them," Faith said.

It took Willow a few more moments 'til realization dawned on her. Her eyes got wide and her

face got as red as her hair.

"That was not my thoughts at all. I just liked them."

"Ok, but since when do you wear G-strings?" Buffy asked pointing.

"It's only one pair, just thought they would work better for those skirts I knew you would force

on me," Willow replied as she sat back down stuffing the conversation's topics into the bag by her

chair.

"Hey, those skirts looked great on you. Almost as good as that dress last night.," Buffy said sitting

down by Dawn and Zach. She looked at her sister and then at the boy beside her.

"I agree with the birth control grandma. Can we have him fixed too?" she said looking up at

Gail.

"No, I want other grandchildren some day. Not anytime soon, but someday," Gail said as they all

started sorting through the bags once again.

Soon there were four piles on the floor, one for each girl. Ira held up a deep red tank top with

deep green lace.

"That's mine dad," Willow said as she threw the shirt she was holding to Faith's pile. Clothes

were flying everywhere.

"Efren, what is with you and underwear man?" Judah asked laughing when he saw Efren holding

up a pair of underwear that had been in a box.

Everyone looked over. Efren was looking at the underwear in confusion.

"Why do they look like that? They don't look like any kind of underwear I've ever seen," he said

looking up at the grownups.

His mom and two aunts had their heads buried in their husbands

shoulders. His grandmother was biting her lip.

Willow and Dawn both yelled at the same time, "Faith!"

Faith, for her part was laughing but shaking her head waving her hands in a surrender motion.

"Are those, the panties that Faith was trying to get you to buy Willow?" Xander asked as he

looked over at his best friend.

"Yes, and I told her no. I can't believe you did that, Faith."

"I didn't do it Red. I had nothing to do with that," Faith said finally able to defend herself.

Buffy was silently laughing.

"I did it. I thought Faith had a good point," the blonde said through her laughter.

Willows eyes bugged out; she couldn't believe this.

"So you bought Willow edible underwear?" Dawn asked, shock evident in her voice.

"For Graham," Buffy said but the statement had both the blonde and Faith on the floor laughing.

Everyone's faces went from confused to shocked at Buffy's statement. Gail, who had been there started

laughing. Her husband and sons all looked at her. She waved them off and said she was going to

start dinner, and she told the boys to help get all the girls' things up stairs. She looked at Efren and

told him, "Stay away from the underwear drawers."

Later that night Willow sat at her new laptop checking on her Wicca websites. She was trying to

get all her old favorites back. Some of them had been moved, some had been closed and some

had just been spammed to the Hellmouth and back.

Willow sighed as, once again, one of her sites had been linked to an adult website. She really

hated when they did that. A knock on the door interrupted her.

"It's open," she called.

She looked back, and saw Buffy sitting down on her bed. She turned around, and looked at

Buffy. They just stared at each other; they hadn't really had a real best friend chat since the night Riley

had taken off. Oh they had talked and all but not about Riley or the group that had taken him away from the blond slayer.

"I miss you," Buffy finally said.

Willow tilted her head to the side. Buffy was fast to re-phrase.

"I don't mean that I miss you like you went on a trip or something, but I mean I miss..." she

stopped, searching for the right words.

"You miss the image of me that you had in your head before all of this came out?" Willow

guessed.

Buffy nodded, her eyes full of tears. Her blonde ponytail bounced with each movement of her

head.

"I miss you too, Buffy. I mean, I miss how it used to be," Willow replied sitting down next to Buffy, her

own eyes shining with tears. She sure had cried a lot the last few days.

"Want to do something tomorrow? Just the two of us?" Buffy asked.

"Let's go patrol. I've missed it the last few months what with us having to stay in most of the

time to protect the wannabes. Come on, let's go kill some big bad nasties," Willow said, grinning

from ear to ear and jumping and down.

Buffy laughed at her best friend's antics and then a sobering thought struck her.

"Willow, would you be able close the Cleveland Hellmouth without it sinking into the ground?"

"I don't know. I mean, we know the necklace and Spike is what caused Sunnydale to sink. I'd have

to research it, but I should be able to close it."

"We'll look it up tomorrow, tonight we slay!" Buffy said jumping up and pulling her to the door.

They stepped into the hall and ran into Faith and Efren. They were carrying bowls of popcorn and

sodas.

"Hey we are watching movies in my room. Want to join?" Faith asked throwing a kernel into her

mouth.

"Nope, we are going patrolling," Buffy said robbing Faith of a handful of popcorn.

Faith looked over at them sharply.

"I'll join. I could use a good workout."

Willow and Buffy looked at each other, then back at Efren, who looked a little upset. Willow put

her hand on his shoulder.

"You might be bummed now Efren, but trust us, this will work to your advantage." And the three

girls left leaving Efren to ponder what his cousin had meant. He shrugged and went into the room

and found Dawn, Zach, Mariella, Sara, and Jenoah sitting on the bed waiting for him.

"Where's Faith?" Dawn asked, grabbing a soda.

"Um, Buffy and Willow were going out and she went with them," he replied.

"Clubbing already? They bounce back fast," Sara said, smiling at him as she got some popcorn.

Efren shook his head, his hair flying all around his head.

"No they went patrolling," he said, only to be sprayed with soda from Dawn.

"They went patrolling without me? Oh they are so going to be in trouble. Ok dude, I know why

I'm mad but why do you look so sad?" she asked Efren whose face was a mask of sorrow.

"Well I thought we were going to watch this movie and then she just left. I thought that she, oh I

don't know, liked me?"

Dawn was laughing again; she's done that a lot since meeting Willow's family.

"She does like you."

"Then why did she bail? I thought we might actually establish first kissing contact tonight," he

said.

Dawn looked at him. Efren sure had an odd why of phrasing things. It reminded her of Anya.

Then what he said came back to her. She grinned remembering a conversation that Faith had

shared years ago.

"Oh trust me, if she is out slaying than it will benefit you too," Dawn told him grinning even

more.

Efren looked at her, with a confused look."Willow said something similar, what does it mean?" he asked.

His answer was laughter from the girl. He decided that Sunnydale produced very odd girls.

The next morning found Dawn in the dining room with a piece of paper in her hands and her

eyes bugged out.

"But I don't wanna!" she complained.

Willow and Buffy walked in on the comment and looked at each other.

"Don't take that tone with me young lady. You will do it and that is final, now go get ready. I

bought your supplies yesterday at the mall," Gail replied in a tone that left no room for arguing.

Dawn pouted all the way out of the room and up the stairs. Willow and Buffy sat down at the

table and looked at Gail.

"What was that all about Grandma?" Willow asked taking a sip off her milk.

Gail stood up waving her hand.

"She's upset because we enrolled her in Summer school yesterday."

Buffy looked up at the woman. This family was too much. They bought them things, let them

live there and then to top it off they had taken in interest in Dawn's schooling.

"Why?" Buffy asked wondering what had made them do it.

Gail looked at her sharply, pointing her finger at her and said, "We found her transcripts when we

were helping Rupert clean out the bus. I must say that I am shocked that you hadn't thought of

putting her in summer school. Do you want her to fail the eleventh grade?"

"No ma'am I just haven't had time to look into public schools here yet. I still don't know if we are

staying," Buffy replied.

"Why wouldn't you? I mean, we love having you kids here. I love how happy my grandkids are

these days. I haven't seen Efren this entranced with a girl since he and Sara were eight and he

realized that not all girls were supposed to be treated like they were your sisters."

Buffy and Willow laughed. Efren did seem to be very drawn to Faith, and she to him. Buffy

suspected that Efren was one of those guys that her momma had always said was out there. She

was glad that Faith had found him. As they waited the rest of the family sat down to eat. Faith

and Efren sat beside each other, every now and then they would look at each other and blush*14.

Dawn came back in the room dressed and still pouting.

"Dawn Ella Summers, if you don't stop that pouting I will see to it that your room has nothing but

the bed in it by the time you come home today."

Buffy bit down on her lip at her sister's full name being used. It was fun to watch someone else be

the bad guy with the girl. Dawn sat down and ate as the others chatted. Gail looked at her watch

and stood up.

"Dawn, sweetie, we need to leave now so you can meet with you teacher and we can get

everything worked out. I'm going to go get my purse. I'll meet you at the front door in five

minutes."

Buffy watched as Grandma Gail walked out and then looked at her sister.

"It won't be too bad, you'll see. Plus you won't be set back a year for what happened in

Sunnydale. I'm sure the schools here are a lot better. Plus, you'll have much more fun being with

other kids your age. I mean, we are just going to be doing some research, so you would have more

fun at school," Buffy said as she watched her sister stand up.

"Yeah, sure, I just wanted to spend my summer in Rudolf Steiner School," she said and walked

out of the room.

"I don't get it, she never minded going to school back home. Are the public schools hard here?"

Buffy asked, looking around the table.

"Buffy, Rudolf is a private school. Grandpa is on the school board, which is probably why she

was accepted. Not that she couldn't get in by herself, but with his record and the money we

contribute to the school she's set," Noah said.

"Oh. Well, she'll get over it. She may mope for a few days but she'll be fine. I mean, she's doing

something normal, and, hey, private school? I've always wondered what that was like."

"Oh, it's pretty good, we've all attended it, well Willow didn't. She went to Sunnydale, obviously.

If Dawn does go on to the 12th grade in August, then she will have classes with Zach, John,

Kyara, Karisa, Katrina, Mariella, Anabelle, and Rosabella. If she had been here last year then Ian,

Joshua, Alessa, Jenoah, Carissa, and Arianna would have been there to help her too," Noah said

as he stole Philip's plate.

"Oh, then she would have been here to see that now infamous serenading of Carissa that you

pulled last year. You should have seen it Wills, he started singing 'Can't take my eyes off of you'

in the middle of the homecoming game, which made all the girls just swoon," Isaak said, pointing

to Noah.

"Well let's not forget that the football players started dancing. The band had joined in and

everyone started clapping to the beat. It was pretty cool until grandpa told the security guards to

teaser him," Liam said as he joined the conversation.

"Grandpa, you didn't!" Willow exclaimed, looking at the man in shock.

"I did. It was pretty funny when he feel to the ground going...I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-" Ichabod said as he

started shaking like he was being shocked.

Everyone started laughing. Buffy didn't know who to laugh at, Grandpa or poor Noah.

Willow helped her aunts clear the table after breakfast. Her grandmother arrived not soon after

and shooed her away. Willow tried to protest but Gail would hear none of it. Willow gave up and

went to her room after Gail smacked her with a towel, and told her if she kept it up it would be the

rolling pin next time.

Buffy joined her so they could research about closing the Cleveland Hellmouth. They were both

typing away on their laptops, though one time Willow peeked over to see what Buffy was

coming up with, and saw she was playing Minesweeper. After being caught Buffy confessed that

Willow was the brains behind all the researching and she was just the muscle. Willow finally

showed her how to sort through all the links and soon Buffy was throwing out ideas. After three

hours of nonstop researching they were interrupted when Gail knocked on the door.

"It's open," Willow called, not looking up from her laptop.

Gail opened the door and stuck her head in.

"Lunch is ready," she said.

Buffy looked up from her laptop.

"Ok, we'll be there in a minute."

"Now," Gail said in a tone that the two girls had only heard once, earlier that morning with Dawn.

Not wanting to anger her more they followed her back downstairs.

The three women sat down at the table. Ira looked at his daughter and her best friend and smiled.

He was really happy that the blonde had taken up with Willow when she had moved to Sunnydale.

After lunch, which Gail let the kids clean up since she had to run a lunch over to Dawn, who

forgot her's that morning, Willow and Buffy went back to researching,

Xander had joined them and was writing down ideas. Not long after Andrew came in the room

listening to his MP3 player. Faith and Efren soon found their way into the room as well. Giles

seemed to have found a new found friendship with the men of Willow's family. He seemed to spend

less time with the Scoobies and more time with Willow's father.

The group was so lost in their research that they didn't notice that the rest of Willow's cousins

had joined them and were all helping. Willow didn't notice the looks between Faith and Efren.

They were all lost in their own little world, until the bedroom door swung open and slammed

against the wall and in stormed Dawn.

"Dawn, if you put holes in my walls I will tear your hide girl!" came the shout from Gail at the

bottom of the stairs.

"Sorry Grandma, it was an accident," Dawn called back. She then turned to the group and pouted.

"Whoever invented Summer school should be shot. So what did I miss?" she asked as she

plopped down next to Xander.

"Researching. Grab a book," Buffy said tossing the closet book to the girl.

"No way, uh-uh, I just spent all day doing schoolwork. I don't want to come home and do

research," Dawn said throwing the book back down.

Xander grinned and Buffy narrowed her eyes at her sister. Willow just closed her eyes and gave a

slight chuckle.

"Fine then, homework," Buffy said as she looked back at her screen.

Dawn groaned and shook her head. All she wanted to do was take a bath before dinner. She got up to do just that as Gail poked her head in the room.

"Dawn, your homework better be done before dinner," she said and then walked downstairs.

Dawn turned a disbelieving look to the Rosenberg grandchildren and pointed to the door.

"Don't even try to figure out grandma, Dawn. She raised five sons and practically raised all of us

grandsons. She knows all the tricks. She even knows when we are about to hatch a plan, and

before we can start on it we are grounded for even thinking it."

"You think she has cameras installed?" Dawn asked in a whisper.

Natanael laughed, shaking his head. "No, we've checked already. She's just very intuitive."

"Aw Nat, what a big word for you. Does your head hurt?" Joshua said, messing up Natanael's hair.

"Shut up, Josh."

"I have to say, I think Alessa is a good influence on you, cuz," Willow said as she wrote down a

spell from the web-page she was on.

"DAWN! HOMEWORK NOW!" Gail's voice called from the bottom of the stairs, making all of

them jump. Dawn had scampered back, and landed on Ian's lap.

"You better go do your homework girl, one more time and there's no telling what kind of

punishment you will get," Judah said as he glanced at Andrew.

The other boy had jumped a mile and then hid under Willow's bed when Gail's voice had echoed

through the room. He wasn't the only one that had been hiding in terror. Xander had jumped up

and ran to Willow's bathroom. Efren had slid under Willow's desk. Faith was shooting worried

looks from Efren to the door. Philip had ducked down and was hiding beside the bed, while Isaak

hid behind the door. Willow had laughed as Buffy gave her a look with fear written all over her

face. Dawn jumped up and all but ran back to her room to do as she was told. If the grown boys in the

family were that scared of Grandma Gail, then she really didn't want to endure her wrath. Two

hours later Lillian poked her head into the room and told the group that dinner was done. She then

went to Dawn's room and told her.

The group was all at the table enjoying dinner when Gail stood up, walked behind Efren and hit

him on the head, making him slam his face into his plate. Willow held in a laugh; she really didn't

want to get hit.

"Ow! Grandma what was that for?" he cried, rubbing his head and cleaning mashed potatoes off

his face.

Gail didn't answer right away but she walked over, and treated Faith to the same punishment.

Faith, who had been afraid of such an action, had sat straight up and gripped the chair beneath her

tightly. After Gail smacked her on the head the brunette slayer looked at Willow who was holding

in her laughter, then at Buffy who looked afraid that she might be next on the bizarre

head-smacking spree.

"Uh, mom? Why are you abusing my son?" Iezekial asked, taking a sip of his wine.

"And my new adopted daughter," Ira asked, taking a bit of his chicken.

"Why don't you ask them?" she replied taking her seat.

Everyone looked from Gail to the now-injured pair. Dawn was looking back and forth between

them. She couldn't really understand why Gail would smack the two on the heads like that

unless...unless...

"Oh!" Dawns voice came from her throat before she could stop it.

Everyone then turned to look at her. Buffy eyed her and asked.

"Dawn is there something you know that we don't?" the blonde slayer asked.

Dawn shrugged but she couldn't stop herself.

"Last night you guys went patrolling," Dawn replied hoping that her sister would take the hint.

"So," Xander said a bit confused.

Dawn rolled her eyes, but answered nonetheless.

"What are the two things patrolling makes Faith?" the girl asked looking at the group.

"Hungry and H... Oh! Faith! Efren! Ew, gross," Willow said looking between her cousin and

friend.

The two had the decency to look ashamed. Faith was looking down at her plate and Efren was

looking down while rubbing his neck.

"Ok, what is going on? Patrolling always makes Faith hungry and what? Xander, you look like you

might know, what with your face being as red as Willow's hair," Ichabod said trying to take

control of the situation. Gail, taking pity on her husband, said.

"Let's just say that Dawn won't be the only girl at this table to be put on birth control. In fact, I

think it would be best, and it would give me peace of mind, if all the girls were put on it," Gail

stated.

Willow looked sharply at her grandmother.

"Why me? I'm not the one sleeping with Efren or any other guy for that matter. Hello purity vow,"

the redhead muttered in a state of shock.

Gail looked at her and with one look at her face Willow shut up and started eating again.

The next day Buffy awoke to find the house empty, save the Scoobies. Ichabod had given Dawn a

ride to school. At the table the Scoobies ate breakfast in silence. Faith was slowly eating her cereal

when Buffy looked at her.

"What's wrong with you? You're very silent today."

Instead of answering Faith held up a plastic container. It was somewhere between an oval and an

octagon. She slid it across the table to Buffy who opened it and gasped.

"She was serious? What did he do, fill the prescription himself?" Buffy asked handing the item

back to Faith, after noting that one pill was already gone.

"I guess so. You didn't find yours? I found mine on my dresser with a note saying that if I didn't

take them then I would be in a world of pain. I've never been as scared of anyone as I am of

Grandma Gail," the brunette replied thoughtfully.

"Speaking of, where is grandma?" Xander asked, looking around as if she was going to jump out and start hitting people.

Willow swallowed her bite of toast and replied, "She's at work."

Xander nodded and went back to shoveling eggs into his mouth.

"So, what's the plan for today?" Faith asked.

"We are closing the Cleveland Hellmouth," Giles supplied as he walked into the room with books and bags in hand.

All five of the tables occupants groaned.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I just own the families that aren't canon.

A/N: I am about to go on vacation for two weeks to my brothers house so I am uploading five chapters in one day. Mainly for Lady who asked for more Willow Graham interaction. I've been meaning to update this story but never got around to it. I promise updates will be faster once I get back.

Bookfreak25: Thank you!

Chapter 4

Gail Rosenberg was a sweet woman, unless she was put in a foul mood. She really disliked ignorance. She always said her granddaughter took after her in the way of her temper.

Gail was a financial adviser for the top banking company in Michigan. She sat at her desk as she sorted through the piles of around fifty files of papers that had gathered on it in the last week. She had been given the week off due to the Willow's 'funeral.'

The day after Willow and her friends showed up, during the shopping trip, Gail had called and informed her boss that her granddaughter hadn't been killed in the Sunnydale collapse like they had originally thought, but she was alive and well. After a brief conversation Gail had been informed that she could take the remainder of the time and spend with Willow.

Gail had been at work the day that the news of Sunnydale had broke. She had been in the middle of the meeting when her secretary had rushed in and turned the TV to the news. Gail read the banner that was scrolling across the screen that in big bold letters said, "Sunnydale, California sinks into ground, no survivors expected."

Gail remembered the look of shock as all the partners looked at her; they were all aware that her granddaughter lived in the California town. She remembered the look that passed on the face of her boss as he stood up and walked towards her just as her world had faded to black.

The next thing that Gail knew she was laying in her bed with Darren and Moran leaning over her. Her son had looked down at her and gave a small smile. Moran had handed her two aspirin and a glass of water. It wasn't until she woke a second time that she noticed the rest of the family by her side.

"Welcome back, Gail," a voice behind her said bringing her back to the present.

Gail turned to the door and came face-to-face with her boss. Gail smiled.

"Hello Clint. I'm just trying to get a start on all of this paperwork. I'll be done as soon as I can," Gail said sorting the paperwork into separate piles.

"No rush. How's your granddaughter? I heard that Sunnydale was devastating."

Gail smiled at Clint. He really was a great guy to work for. He always made sure that everyone had the weekends off and he was the sweetest guy.

"Oh, she's handling it. She's a tough girl, although you wouldn't know it by looking at her, tiny little thing. She and her friends are all doing really well," Gail replied as she sat down at her desk.

Clint grinned at her. "

"Well, I can't wait to meet this group then. You should bring them to the company dinner next week. I'm sure that the partners would love to know that there is at least one person in your family that is not a son or grandson. I think the betting pool is that the family is immune to female genetics."

Gail laughed but nodded her head. "You know, that sounds like a lovely idea. Clint, trust me we all thought that for the longest time until Willow showed up."

After visiting for a few more minutes Gail finally shooed him away to get to work. A knock on the door brought Gail out of her stupor of work a few hours later. She looked up and smiled.

"Hey, I see that you didn't waste any time getting back to it. How about some lunch?" the person asked.

Gail had to admit she did a get a big chunk of the papers out of the way. She was now down to the last ten in the pile.

"I'd love to, Isabelle. Where to today?" Gail asked as she stood up and grabbed her coat.

The two best friends walked to the elevator, waving to their fellow co-workers. Isabelle was the secretary for the main boss. The company often joked that the two best friends were more like sisters. Though everyone knew of the close knit relationship the two families had. Though the truth would probably shock all of them if they found out the real reason the two groups were so close.

"Oh, let's go to the little cafe around the corner. I love their mousse pie," Isabelle said as they pushed the button for the lobby.

"Even though you can make it at home yourself," Gail replied with a smirk.

"If I did that I'd have to share," Isabelle whined like a child.

Gail chuckled at the way her friend was acting. They climbed off the elevator and walked through the lobby to the door. They waved to the security guard and went on their way to lunch.

The short trek to the cafe was silent, as they side stepped others. When the waiter saw them he escorted them to their normal seats.

"Do you ladies need a menu or would you like the usual?" he asked.

Gail smiled at him. He reminded her a bit of Xander, or would it be Xander reminded her of the waiter.

"The usual please," the two replied as one.

"I'll bring your drinks right out," he said hurrying off.

"So how are things on the home front?" Isabelle asked turning to look at her friend of more than thirty years.

"Just getting that group into the swing of things was easier than potty training all of the boys." Gail laughed.

"Really? How so?"

Gail grinned.

"Well, it only took one morning for Dawn to realize that I am not a grandma to tussle with. Oh I'm sure that the boys told her horror stories, but she seems to be a quick learner."

The waiter sat their drinks in front of them and told them their food would be ready shortly. He then turned to go to another table.

"Let's see, Andrew and Philip seem to be the best of friends. I think Philip found a Science Fiction buddy. I know last night they stayed up watching the Star Wars movies. All of them. Xander seems to be handling everything pretty well. Willow told me he lost his girlfriend in the fight. Jeremiah said he was going to see about getting the boy a job at the bank as a private contractor. Willow said he was very good at construction; he had his own team in the company he was working at in as little as a year."

"Impressive. He's so young. What about the elder gentleman? Repret?" Isabella replied as the waiter slipped their lunch on the table, they thanked him and he left.

"Rupert, and he prefers to be called Giles. He seems to fit in rather well with my boys. I feel like he is the sixth son I never had, the British one." Gail laughed.

Isabella laughed at the idea. The two ate in silence for a few minutes.

"What about Buffy and Faith?" Isabella asked.

Gail leaned back and sighed. Placing her drink down. Gail closed her eyes.

"Buffy is doing okay. I think if she found someone she would be even happier. Faith, oh boy, what to say about that one? She's a wild one. She and Efren are going to be the death of me. I mean two days that's all it took and they are already intimate with each other."

The look on Isabelle's face made Gail pause.

"Think about it this way, Gail. Efren has never really had a girlfriend. I mean there was that whole thing with Sara, but they were kids. Faith seems like a...well, a nice girl once you get under the tough surface. I mean they even each other out I think. She's wild and free, and he is shy and self aware."

"I guess, but I just don't want my grandson to get hurt. I mean I'd have to carry out that threat to Buffy on Faith. Regardless, I like her. She would fit in with the family really well."

Isabelle nodded as the waiter took their lunch plates and brought their mousse pie that Isabelle always ordered. They finished their pie and just sat at the little table a few minutes longer.

"How's my favorite future granddaughter-in-law?" Isabelle asked after they gave the waiter their money.

Gail laughed a bit at that one. Isabelle loved Willow almost as much as she loved her biological granddaughters. Both families adored the other.

"She's great. She's happy to be home for good I think. She and Buffy spend most of their together. Do you think the girls, yours and mine, would object to a girls day with just them? I think it would give them all time to get to know each other better, well it would give Buffy, Faith and Dawn a chance to get to know your girls better, and maybe even give Willow a chance to play catch up with the girls. I know your girls missed Willow."

"Oh! I think that is a brilliant idea. I'm sure my girls would love it. Oh, and the boys can all have a boys day if they want. They've missed Willow so much over the years. I can't remember the last time she was home."

"Just after her sixteenth birthday. Remember we wanted to throw her a comeing of age party but that evil mother of hers wouldn't let us. I will be so thrilled when that no good, bossy woman is out of my Ira's life. "

"So I take it the divorce is underway?" Isabella asked as they made their way out onto the busy sidewalk.

Gail shook her head.

"No, they are trying to track down Shelia. She has apparently canceled her lectures for the rest of the summer and has disappeared. If she tries to pin a kidnap charge on my son they will never find her body," she replied with venom in her voice. Gail suddenly looked over.

"Hey, you guys want to come to dinner tonight? The boys are doing a type of bar-b-que. I have no idea what they are going to make, but knowing my boys there will be more than enough."

"Sure," Isabelle replied.

The two best friends went back to finish their work. Gail got her work done within the hour and was just rechecking everything before she left for home. After she straightened up, she told Clint goodbye and signed out.

Gail arrived home and saw that all the Millers cars were parked in her drive. 'Well it looked like they took the offer' she thought as she climbed out of the car. It was close to four and she was happy to be home. She walked in and an all out commotion was taking place. Everyone was ranting and loading up on weapons. Efren was typing on his laptop while looking very gloomy. Dawn was crying into a very uncomfortable looking Abigail's shoulder. Lillian was behind the upset girl trying to calm her.

"What's going on?" Gail asked putting her bag down.

"They're gone," Michelangelo said as he looked over a map of the city.

Gail wasn't often confused, but she was today.

"Who's gone?" she asked, walking over to Dawn to find out what was wrong with her.

"They didn't show up to pick me up so I had to call someone. Well no one was picking up so I had to call Jenoah. When we got home no one was here. Buffy, Faith, Willow, none of them. The bus is gone, too. They left me," the teen cried as she buried her head in Gail's lap.

Well that explained to Gail why Efren looked so upset; his new little girlfriend is missing.

The sound of the front door opening and closing caught everyone's attention. Ichabod and Gerardo shared a look and each stood by the doorway.

"Man that was... tiring. I'm beat. Hey there boy toy what're you doing?" Faith asked as she walked in the room, followed by Buffy. Faith walked over to Efren who had perked up at the sound of her voice.

"Buffy!" Dawn shouted jumping up and threw herself at her sister. Luckily, Buffy was well balanced and was able to stay up-right.

Giles and Andrew were the next two through the door. Gail noticed for the first time that the group was covered in mud and grime. What did they do today, she wondered. Xander walked through the door next carrying Willow. At least Gail thought it was Willow; her hair was solid white, and she was unconscious.

"What happened to my child?" Ira asked, his voice a tad bit panicky. He rushed forward to take Willow from Xander. After Ira and Xander laid her down, Darren hurried over to check on her.

"What happened?" Ira demanded this time.

"She'll be fine, pops. She got like this when we closed Sunnydale's hell mouth too. Though it didn't last that long with Sunnydale. G-man any idea why she's still all white headed?" Faith asked sitting down next to Efren.

"I believe it is because she was used to the Sunnydale's hell mouth and not the Cleveland hell mouth. It should dissolve soon."

Willow opened her eyes and looked up at her uncle. His eyes went wide in shock and he fell backwards off the sofa.

"Darren, are you all right?" Anthony asked as he helped the other man up.

"Willow, your eyes," was all he could say.

Willow jumped up, waved her hands and music filled the room. The familiar tune of Eve 6's 'Think Twice' filled the room. The parents all watched in wonder as their kids started bobbing their heads to the song. Willow was jumping around and she ran up to Isaiah.

"Come on, Unc, bust a move," she said trying to get him to dance.

Isaiah, for his part, looked over at Giles.

"Is she high?" he asked.

Willow left her uncle and was dancing and singing with her cousins and the Miller girls. The group was all twisting and jumping. Efren had stood up and was trying to get Faith to dance.

"Too tired," she said slumping next to Buffy and Dawn.

Willow left the group and climbed on the coffee table.

"Willow Daniel, get off my table this instant!" Gail demanded of her granddaughter as she reached forward and pulled her off the table.

Willow landed on the couch feet first and started jumping up and down like it was a trampoline.

"Willow!" Gail shouted.

The music died down and the group stopped moving. Willow was still jumping. Dawn however, had been thinking over a piece of information.

"You guys closed the Cleveland hellmouth without me?" she asked looking at her sister.

Buffy closed her eyes; she was tired and didn't want to deal with her sister's anger over not including her in the event.

"Chill, Dawnie you were in school." Xander replied taking the heat off of Buffy.

"I don't care what the reason was you should have left a note or something telling us where you were. I mean honestly, Rupert, you should have known better. What if something had happened to you guys? We wouldn't have known where to find you. You should have told your father where you were going at least," Gail ranted, the last part directed toward a still bouncing Willow. She would have added more but she was interrupted by Willow.

"Think of it from our point of view, Grandma. I haven't really had to answer to anyone since I was thirteen. Mom was always working, dad was here, I was my own person. None of us have had to tell anyone where we were going since we were usually together, and with the other people we would normally tell."

"You could have written a note," Gail remarked.

"Oh yeah, you're right, so here's what we will do. The next time the world is about to end we will just stop everything we are doing so we can WRITE A FREAKING NOTE!" Willow contended.

Gail's hand flew through the air before she knew what she was doing.

"Grandma, no!" came the shout from Faith, Buffy, Xander and Dawn.

A shout of 'Duck and cover!' was heard from Judah, which had all the Rosenberg boys dropping to the floor covering their heads. Faith looked at her boyfriend in bewilderment.

Too late their cries fell on Gail's ears as Willow landed on the sofa next to her dad with her hand to her cheek. Willow's eyes slowly turned back to their normal color, green, as Gail started down at her. Willow looked to the tears threatening to spill from her grandmother's eyes, then turned her own confused eyes to her friends.

"Grandma," Willow uttered as she got to her feet.

Gail held up her hand, shaking her head.

"Don't talk to me," the angry woman remarked as she turned and fled from the room.

Willow turned sad green eyes to her friends. Xander reached forward and hugged her. Leaning into his comfort Willow sniffled.

"What did I say?" she requested of her friends.

Faith and Buffy looked at each other, then at her. Dawn spoke up for the group.

"You told her the next time the world was about to end we would stop what we were doing and leave a freaking note, all sarcastic like."

"Did any of you try and tell her that it wasn't me talking? That it was the magicks? That I have no control over what happens when the magick takes over?"

"Didn't really have time. Though we now know how to knock sense back in to you," Faith responded grinning at the idea of smacking someone around.

Willow groaned as she banged her head against Xander's chest. Xander watched as Isabelle slinked out of the room.

Isabelle walked to where she knew Gail would have gone. The greenhouse. Gardening seemed to help her friend relax. Gail was sitting on the chair next to the tulips, looking at them as if they were dead instead of ripe and live with bright colors of yellow and red. The greenhouse smelled of mixed scents. Fertilizers and bug spray overpowered the sweet smell the flowers gave off.

"Gail."

Gail looked up, and Isabelle saw the tear tracks on her face. Sighing, she pulled up another chair and sat down, comforting Gail much like Xander was doing with Willow. It wasn't often that they played the comfort game, but when they did it was heart wrenching. Gail was not one to let her emotions win her over, to show weakness to her enemies. It was all part of being a Capos wife.

"I can't believe she talked to me like that."

"I can't believe you hit her," Isabelle replied, though none was needed.

"The way she talked to me though, Bell," Gail muttered shaking her head.

"It wasn't her, Gail. The magick had taken her over, she wasn't in control."

Gail shook her head once again as she rubbed her temples. A chuckle from Isabelle caught her attention and she looked curiously at her.

"Judah screaming 'Duck and cover.'"

Gail laughed as she remembered the scene from the living room with the boys all falling to the floor in terror. Yep, it was clear to both that the kids of the Rosenberg family were afraid of their grandmother. The two looked over when the door creaked as Dawn slowly walked in.

"Grandma?"

Gail beckoned the girl forward.

"Dawn, come here, sweetie."

Dawn walked the rest of the way and stood next to the two older women.

"She didn't mean it. She says things when the magick takes her over. She once told Xander he was a waste of space, though later we realized that the power of the hell mouth had kind of tapped into her power, and she didn't remember saying it. She felt horrible; she baked like a zillion cookies for him."

Gail smiled gently at the girl. She reached up and brought Dawn into a hug.

"I know, Dawnie. It's just a grandmother thing. Come on, let's go back in."

The three exited the greenhouse and walked back to the house. Gail walked in and saw the pain that reflected on Willows face.

"Grandma, I am so sorry. I didn't mean it. The magick it makes me do things I wouldn't normally do. Like bouncing on the sofa," Willow gushed out as she sent her grandmother a pleading look.

Gail looked at Willow with slight wonder in her eyes.

"You remember what happened?" she asked.

Willow shook her head.

"No, Andrew showed me the tape. He decided to tape the dancing I guess," she replied shrugging her shoulders.

Gail and Willow hugged as Gail apologized for smacking her. Willow grinned and said it wasn't the first time she had been hit.

Faith ducked her head. "I thought we were over that, Red" she muttered.

Gail told them to all go take showers since they stank. The group made their way up to their rooms as the women of the two families set about making dinner. Gail was putting the last of the food on the table as Faith walked into the room.

"Need any help, Grandma?" she asked looking at all the food.

Gail looked up and smiled. Faith had toned down her clothes for the evening. She was wearing a lose t-shirt with a pair blue jeans.

"No, dear we have everything set. I was just about to call everyone in."

"I can do it," Faith said flashing her a grin before heading back to the living room.

Gail looked at the retreating back and smiled. 'There might just be hope for that girl yet' she thought.

Everyone poured in and after taking their seats starting eating. Gail thought how lucky she was to have such family.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I just own the families that aren't canon.

Chapter 5

After dinner all the girls made the older women go to the living room while they cleared the table, and did the dishes.

The girls soon sat up a system. Sara and Willow pre-washed the dishes while, Alessa and Buffy loaded them in the dishwasher. The twins, Kyara and Karisa, along with Dawn put up the dishes that had previously been in the dishwasher but were now stacked on the counter. Katrine and Cara put away the left overs. Faith was sweeping the floor. Anabelle and Rosabella brought the rest of the dishes from the dinning room. Carissa and Arianna emptied the fridge of out of date food then labeled the new containers. That was something that both families did, label the food with the date that it was put in the fridge.

"You know Willow you could be the best sister-in-law in the world and just magick the kitchen clean." Katrina broke the silence as she and Cara put the last of the dishes on the counter.

Willow turned to her second youngest sister-in-law and glared. The younger girl had the nerve to give her an innocent look.

"Oh I like you." Dawn replied giggling at Katrina.

"Yuck it up Dawn Ella Summers and I'll send you out there to grandma and let you explain why Willow gave you warts." Buffy said after she put a bowl in the dishwasher.

"Katrina Ann Miller, leave Willow alone or do you want us to tell Graham who it was that put red streaks in his hair the night before he left for boot camp." Sara threatened her sister.

The two giggling girls sobered up right away. They looked at each other and went back to what they were suppose to be doing. Katrina went and grabbed a rag to help Cara wipe down the counter top.

"Oh he told me about that. Did anyone get a picture of it?" Willow asked eagerly.

"No he wouldn't let us take a picture, but I think Aunt Lia got him on video."

"You know I think we should all get together sometime. You know just us girls for a whole day." Sara said as she handed Alessa a plate.

All the Miller girls perked up at that idea.

"Yeah. I like that idea." Carissa replied.

"Count me in." Anabelle said looking at her cousin.

"Oh yay I haven't had a girls day in a long time."

"Sure."

"Great! It's settled. Now when do you want to do it?"

The group of girls finished up the cleaning the kitchen and went into the livingroom. The Miller girls were all going over thier weekly schedule so they could pick a night to do thier girls day.

"How about next Saturday? That will be my first cleared day." Cara suggested looking at her PDA.

Sara shook her head while looking at her own planner.

"I have that interview that day." she said.

"What interview?" Willow asked intrigued.

Saras brown hair bounced as she looked up and smiled.

"I have an interview with the dean of admission for Julliard. I might be able to make it back in time though."

"OH! Sara congratulations!" Willow gushed as she rushed forward and hugged the other girl.

"Thank you but I doubt I'll get it. I mean there are only so many times the 'My family is the Mafia so let me have my way.' card can be played." the older girl laughed as they joined the rest of their families in the living room.

"I have never played that card to get my way. Does it work?" Willow asked.

The Miller girls all nodded their heads. Which made them all start laughing. Faith had to admit she rather liked these girls. The two families sat and chatted as the night wore on. After Dawn fell asleep using Jehoan as a pillow Gail called it a night. Jenoah carried the slumbering brunette up the stairs and in to her room as the Miller clan said good night.

As Buffy laid in bed that night exhausted from the days activities she smiled, they had closed the Cleveland Hellmouth, and Cleveland was still standing. She felt relief wash over her. She wouldn't have to worry about a hell mouth opening up anytime soon, unless Giles found a new one. Buffy's eyes closed and she relived the days events all over again.

Giles drove to Cleveland as the rest of them got their information together. Xander was helping Andrew with the weapons, as Willow looked over the spell and checked her ingredients. Buffy and Faith spared in the back of the bus which wasn't as easy as the two made it look.

They were all on edge hoping that the Hellmouth didn't swallow yet another town. Willow did a locator spell with a map of Cleveland trying to find the Hellmouth. Giles and the two other males of the group carried the bags of weapons. Buffy and Faith carried the bags of ingredients that would be needed safest place for them. The group walked in to the empty old warehouse. It looked and smelled like no-one had been in the structure in years.

The uber vamps swarmed them when they entered the basement of the building. Xander and Giles double teamed one vamp as they pinned him up against the wall. Giles cut it's head off with a sword that Xander had been able to hand him. Faith ducked a vamp that charged her, kicking it in the head before staking it.

Buffy side stepped another vampire as she brought the axe up and in one swift movement the uber-vampire was dust.

Andrew was swinging a sword all the while yelling about swimmers ear. Willow summoned a small sun ball and hurled it at an oncoming hoard. What was probably hours later they stood over the seal of the hellmouth. Willow recited the spell as they fought the creatures that spilled out of the ground. The hellmouth would not go quietly. After it was all said and done they were all shocked that none of them were permantly hurt. Willow had been knocked out by the power of the spell and the unfamiliar powers from the new hellmouth. Xander lent down and picked her up, her now white hair flowed down his arm.

The bus ride home was anything but quite as Giles drove. Faith and Buffy were both hyper due to the fight. Xander was checking on Willow as the bus rolled down the road. Andrew bounced from one seat to the next.

"Buffy!"

The slumbering blonde shot up out of the bed, she smacked her head on the person leaning over her. She reached up and rubbed her hand on her forehead as she glared at the other person.

"Natanael I should kill you for that. This better be important." she muttered.

"Grandpa wants all of us downstairs. Now." he said walking out of the room while messageing his own forhead.

Buffy got up and got dressed in a pair of pants and a shirt. She could always change later but she really didn't want to keep grandpa waiting if he was anything like grandma. She rushed down the stairs and into the dinning room where everyone was waiting. Dawn was already gone to school for the day.

"So what's up grandpa?" Buffy asked taking a sip of juice.

Ichabod stood and looked around at the table.

"Follow me all of you." the elder man ordered of the group.

The group went to their cars and followed Ichabod for twenty minutes to an open field that was under construction. Ichabod climbed out of his car and waited as everyone exited their own transportation.

"Dad what are we doing?" Isaiah asked looking around the empty area.

Icahbod grabbed Giles and led him to the lot at the top of the area. Then he grabbed Buffy put her on the lot to the left of Giles. He then put Faith to the right of Giles and across from Buffy. Xander was led to the lot next to Buffy. He brought Willow to the lot next to Faith and across from Xander. Finally he led Andrew to the lot next to Willow.

Ichabod stood in the middle of the road. Everyone waiting for him to talk.

"You are now standing on the lots of the newest community. Welcome to the future site for Sunnydale Haven. You are all standing on the lots that will be your homes."

"That is very generous of you Ichabod but we can't accept this." Giles replied.

"Non-sense Rupert. Think of it as a thank you for being there for my Willow, and I won't hear of it any more."

Ichabod countered.

Faith held up her hands in surrender as if saying 'Okay, fine by me.' The others followed suite, Willow ran up and throwing her arms around her grandfathers neck and kissing his check.

"Thank you grandpa."

"There is one catch. Willow will design everyone's house's and you will all get to design hers."

Willow looked at her friends and suddenly got a sinking feeling in her stomach. Faith

had a smirk on her face as she made eye contact with the redhead. Oh that wasn't good, Willow now feared what the loose cannon slayer would come up with for her house. Buffys eyes' held mischief. Giles was cleaning his glasses. Andrew shrugged his shoulders and Xander well he was jumping up and down. Willow eyed him with bewilderment. She saw everyone else was also looking at him.

"What?" he asked noticing the attention he was now getting.

"We were wondering the same thing about you man." Phillip replied.

"Wow, and people say I'm strange." Natanael muttered.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I just own the families that aren't canon.

Chapter 6

The next day Efren sat down with the group sans Willow, who was off with her dad, and started writing down the ideas that each person was calling out. He hadn't really given it much thought when his granddad had asked him to make the plans for the houses, he was in web designing school after all. He was having seconds thoughts however as he tried to separate the jumble of voices that were all getting mixed together. The group were all talking over each other and it was a bit confusing since they had all agreed to each pick a room of his cousins house and design it. He was afraid that he would end up putting some of Xanders idea into Giles chosen room, or worse some of Faiths ideas into Buffys chosen room.

"Okay! That is it. Everyone but Xander out." the frustrated man said as he put the pen down and looked at the group.

They all stared back at him in shock, except Faith who was looking at him with a raised eyebrow, he swallowed knowing she would be angry with him but he didn't care right then. He had to have the plans done in a weeks time, not just on Willows house but all of the houses and he couldn't do that if he wasn't able to concentrate.

"I'm sorry but I can't concentrate with all of you giving ideas for separate rooms. So we are going to break it down by room. Since the living room is on the first floor we will start with that and then on to the other first floor rooms. So Dawn is next then Mr. Giles. Then the upstairs rooms."

Xander waved cheerfully to the group as they exited the room.

"So where do you want to start?" Efren asked him as he wrote Xanders name on a paper and started to list the ideas for the living room that the other man was helping to create.

"Well Wills loves those old fashion wood floors and walls so I was think that maybe a light wood floor and a shade darker wall panels."

Efren looked at the other man in slight shock as he went on about the best structure for the type of house. Xander seemed to have a really specific idea for what he thought Willows living room should look like. He had to admit that the one eyed man was pretty in tune with Willows wants on the subject of her house. He assumed that it was from the fact that they'd known each other longer then most friends would.

"You know, any other guy that knows a girls taste this well and their relationship would be called into question. Though given the length of time you've known each other and how close you two are I'm not surprised that you know all this." Efren commented about thirty minutes later.

Xander just shrugged and smiled.

"Well before coming up here I would have said no-one knows my Wills like I do. Though I do believe that Graham may have me beat on that."

Efren shook his head. "On somethings I'd say yeah on others I'd say no. I mean you know best friend things about her he knows things a boyfriend should know."

Xander thought on the information as Efren drew a 3D model of the room on the computer.

"Did Willow teach you all of the computer tech stuff?" Xander asked.

Efren smiled.

"Yeah when she was here about six years ago, just after her sophomore year of highschool. She helped dad set up the computer systems that you guys found on your first day here. She was always the genius with the electronics. She showed me how to work the programs and everything."

"That's the Willster."

Ten minutes later Xander and Efren walked out of the room. The two made their way to the kitchen for something to drink.

Efren grabbed a soda out of the fridge and tossed one to Xander who had grabbed a bag of chips from the cabinet.

"So how was it living in Sunnydale with a mob of girls? I mean I can only assume it is every guys fantasy." Efren asked as he grabbed a few of the chips.

Xander laughed, "Well lets see. I got to hang out with chicks, only one of whom I was dating and I had my manliness called into question a lot. I mean besides Dawnie all my girls are really powerful. They can and do kick butt and take names and look hot doing it. Lord help me if any of them ever find out I called them chick."

Efren's nose scrunched up. "I don't think I want to think of my cousin looking hot. Though I have no problem with thinking about Faith and Buffy like that."

"Thinking of Faith and Buffy like what?" Natanael asked walking into the room.

"Looking hot while kicking butt and taking names." Efren supplied.

Nataneal leaned his head to the side a look of concentration on his face, he grinned and nodded. "I can see that."

"Now add Will to that and try not to bang your head against the cabinet to get the image of hot Willow out of your brain." Efren added a smirk on his face.

The serene look on Nataneals face vanished as a sour look came over it and he closed his eyes while scratching at them.

"Why would you do that?" the blonde boy asked glaring at his cousin after he stopped tiring to rip his eyes out.

"Simple, I'm older and evil."

Xander laughed out loud at that and nodded his head.

"You know I always tell them I need more guy friends. I love this family." the one eyed man said as he took a drink of his soda.

"That is great to know. Hey Efren are you done with Xander for awhile I have someone I want him to meet." Jeremiah asked as he poked his head into the room.

"Yep, we are done. I was fixing to go see if I could find Dawn and get her ideas for the kitchen." Efren told his uncle.

"She's probable with Jenoah. They've been pretty much inseparable since he had to pick her up the other day from school. I think someone has a crush." Nataneal said as he shot his cousin another nasty look.

"Though which one has the crush? Dawn or Jenoah?" Efren asked in a puzzled fashion.

"Great, well why you to figure out the paradox that is Jenoahs and Dawns love life. Xander would you mind coming with me?" Jeremiah asked becoming the other man toward him.

Xander said goodbye to the two younger boys and walked out of the kitchen with Jeremiah. The older man led him to the parked car in the drive way.

"Where are we going if you don't mind me asking."

The big bruly man just gave a slight grin, an almost evil grin, that kinda gave Xander the creeps.

Willow let out another sigh as her father dismissed yet another of her dress choices for the dinner her grandmothers company was throwing. Her dad had offered to take her shopping for the dress saying he wanted to make sure he wouldn't have to bash boys heads in if they looked at her wrong.

"Dad." she whined as he looked at her with the best innocent look he could muster.

Willow tried not to laugh at him but he was a sight. He looked almost ridiculous giving her an angelic grin, that clashed horribly with the tough persona that he was known for. The lights over his head made him look almost to have a halo over his bald head.

"What?" he asked.

"Why can't I just wear a dress I already own? It's not like I don't have a closet full of clothes as it is."

Ira glared at her with his best attempt of a resolve face that he could muster.

"I want to buy you a new dress, is it so bad that I want to get my daughter a dress? Most girls wouldn't be complaining. I wasn't able to be there when you picked out your dress for prom which I didn't even get a picture from by the way. Please let me buy you this dress well not that dress but a different one." he told her.

Willow looked at him in bewilderment. Sometimes it baffled her just how much like her father she truly was. She then looked down at the dress that she was currently wearing wondering why he didn't like this dress. It was a floor length pale blue dress in satin. She looked over at him and he had a sour look on his face. She got a bright smile on her face.

"Not the prom thing again. Dad trust me it wasn't that memorable, I mean Buffy was late because some kid, which turned out to be Andrews older brother, released the hounds of hell on anyone in formal wear. I guess he didn't get to take the girl of his dreams. I went stag since my boyfriend wasn't there. How about I don't get a new dress and then you can buy me a wedding dress to show you love me." she offered nodding her head a smile on her face.

Ira's eye brow raised up and he stared at her. He held up his hand in front of him, his fingers all closed making a fist. He leveled her with a glare and then one by one he held up a finger as he retorted.

"Okay one, you're getting a new dress for your grandmothers party. Two it's kind of my job to buy you a wedding dress when the time comes, and I'm looking forward to seeing how you look in one. Three where are we on the whole you and Graham issue? Four hounds of hell? Five, that dress is just wrong for you" he said pointing to the dress she had on.

Willows own eyebrow rose as she gave him a reluctant look.

"You are a guy, your gender is not suppose to know about clothes. You don't have any sisters, and I doubt the aunts take you shopping with them, so what's your secret dad?" she replied.

Ira smirked at her, not bothering to reply to her question, he just simply gave her a cheeky grin that he knew would drive her crazy. He would give Shelia the same look when they fought and she would get irritated, if Willow was anything like her mother the smirk would win the argument for him.

"I don't want a new dress." she whined.

"Stop acting like a spoiled brat because we both know you aren't one. Now a different dress, please." he told her.

Her green eyes went up toward the ceiling and she went back to the dressing room to try on one of the other dresses that the shop keeper who was hard of hearing thank god or she would think they were insane, had put in there during their little father/daughter spat. Once the door was closed Willow smiled, she and her dad had never done anything like this, she was actuality enjoying herself.

She picked up the next dress which was really pretty it was a deep shade of green it was a very silky material. She put it on, it hung on her body, hugging her body the way it should. The dress stopped mid-calf and the neck line was very decent, she looked in the mirror and smiled, it was sophisticated enough and flirty, not her normal style but if she wanted to try and escape her shell of normalcy this would be a good start.

She walked out and stopped in front of her dad who was looking up at the ceiling. He slowly lowered his head to look at her and his expression went from bored to surprise. He stood up and held out his hand to her, she slid her hand in his, he slowly twirled her around. Willow giggled as the shopkeeper raised an eyebrow at them and smiled apparently happy that they were no longer arguing.

Ira held her at arms length and looked at her. She could see the un-sheded tears in his eyes, Willow knew that look, it was the same look that Joyce used to get on her face when she looked at her two daughters, it was a look of a parent realizing their child was an adult.

"Perfect." he whispered then gave her a tight hug.

Willows eyes bugged out. She wasn't used to the kinda of behavior her dad was now showing, well she wasn't used to it from him anyway. She gave a slight grin as she hid her face in his shoulder. He smelled of Old Spice and Mint aftershave, she had always loved the combination of musk on her dad, it reenforced his image, well maybe not the Mint aftershave but she still liked it.

"Can I have a puppy?" she asked into his leather jacket, though it came out sounding like, 'An Eh ave a poppy?'

Willow felt herself being pulled back by the shoulders. She looked up at her father, a look of confusion on his face.

"A poppy?"

Willow laughed again while shaking her head. She was overtaken by her mirth.

"A puppy. I want a puppy." she corrected him through her giggles.

"Oh." he said dragging the two letter word out. He tucked her in for a closer hug.

"How about we go pay for that dress and then grab something to eat?"

"Then puppy?" Willow asked looking up at him with her best puppy dog eyes.

Ira looked down into her green eyes and couldn't help the laugh that rippled through his body. He had always wanted to buy her a pet but Shelia had never allowed it. He really felt that Willow had been a perfect daughter and she really deserved a pet. How could he deny her one now?

"Yeah then puppy." he nodded giving a small laugh.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I just own the families that aren't canon.

Chapter 7

Dawn looked up from her homework when the front door opened, she had finished giving Efren her plans for Willows kitchen an hour ago. She turned her gaze to Zachariah who had been helping her he shrugged his shoulders. There was a lot of banging coming from the front entrance. If Dawn didn't know better she would swear that Faith and Efren where going at it. Dawn did know better though first off Efren would never do that in such an open place and defiantly not when Grandma was home. Plus Efren was still working on the plans for Willows house with Buffy.

Willow came into the room carrying a little brown and white puppy. Dawn did a double take. Willow sat down on the sofa next to the two teens and held the puppy out to the startled brunette next to her.

"Dad got me a puppy, want to help me name it?" the redhead asked as Dawn petted the little ball of fur.

Dawn nodded. She couldn't help but smile at the little creature her friend was holding.

"Boy or girl?" Zachariah asked as he reached over and petted the animal.

"It's a boy." Willow informed him scratching behind the dogs ear.

"He kinda looks like a 'Mutt' or a 'Koda' to me." Dawn said.

"What about 'Kermit' or 'Kewpie'?" Zachariah asked throwing his picks out there. At the look that the two girls sent him he quickly changed his mind.

"Oh right, that's a no to Kermit." he backtracked.

"Uh, how about, Mo-Jo?" Dawn asked still petting the puppy behind the ear.

Willows eyes lit up.

"I love it. Mo-Jo it is. Do you like your name Mo-Jo." Willow asked the dog holding him up in front of her.

The small animal licked her nose and the three laughed.

"He is so cute do you think I could talk Buffy into letting me get a dog?" Dawn asked as she petted Mo-Jo once again.

Willow smiled at the girl next to her. She put Mo-Jo into Dawn's lap and walked out of the room. Dawn looked over to Zachariah and he tilted his head to look at the doorway that his cousin had exited through. He looked back at Dawn and laughed when Mo-Jo closed his jaws onto a piece of Dawns hair. The little puppy growled as he swung his head side to side while the girls hair was in his mouth.

Willow reappeared in the room again but this time she was holding a light brown puppy. She smiled at the scene in front of her. The redhead then held out the new puppy to Dawn.

"I talked dad into getting you one as well. Well really I talked him in to getting each of us one, this one is yours. We got Buffy a pure black puppy, Faith a mixed color puppy, Andrew has this little puppy that looks like its more red then anything, and Xander a pure white dog."

"You got Xander a pure white puppy?" Dawn repeated while giving her a look that said she should have known better.

"Yeah, mainly to see how long it takes him to get it dirty, just to watch him give it a bath." Willow replied smiling at her.

Dawn laughed and the two girls traded dogs. The three of them sat playing with the puppies while everyone else started to file into the room. Andrew and Phillip had both sat on the floor to play with the dogs as-well. All the boys had been gathering all the dirty clothes in the house so they looked tired. Xander and Jeremiah had gotten home a few minutes before Ira and Willow so Xander had missed out on gathering clothes.

A knock at the front door sounded through the hallway. Darren, whom was coming down the stairs went to answer the door. He opened the door and saw the Millers, everyone of them sans Graham. The girls all had duffel bags. He gave them a welcoming smile and moved aside for them to come into the hall. They had all learned along time ago not to verbal invite anyone into the house.

"What brings you all here? Not that you're not always welcome as long as you have a pulse." he commented as he led them into the living room.

"It's our girls night then we are going to spend all day tomorrow together." Mariella said holding up her bag, beaming.

Darren nodded, he was currently happy that he had sons and no daughters. That many girls in one house is bound to be trouble, adding the Sunnydale girls to the mix well the house will be lucky to still be standing. He sat down next to Abbigal and wrapped his arms around her, he received a grateful smile filled with love as a reward. He knew she put up a tough act at times but that was all it was an act. She had to play the part of the mob wife, just like Moran, Lilly, Nataile, and the Miller wives; and sometimes she forgot to turn the attitude off which usually resulted in Lilly slapping her.

"AW!" came the collective reaction from the Miller girls as they spotted the puppies.

The groups sat and watched as the teens and kids and a few cases adults play with the newly purchased animals. Gail looked over at Ira and saw he was watching the scene with a smile on his face. She leaned over and told him to follow her.

Mother and son disappeared as the rest of the group laughed at the puppies's antics.

"Puppies? Ira you brought dogs into my home?" she scolded him, turning to give him a look that told him she was not happy.

Ira rubbed his bald head.

"Ma, relax the kids will take care of them. Come here I want to tell you some things." he said as he led her into the next room.

He sat down on a chair and she sat on the other.

"Willow and I went out today, I bought her a dress for your party, which she wasn't happy at all about having to do by the way. The dress not the party. I had to blackmail her into getting the dang thing, which isn't easy when you don't have a whole lot of blackmail material on the person you are blackmailing. Well I guess I could say I guilted her into getting the new dress. Anyway the point is she didn't ask me for the dress, but she let me get it anyway she did however ask me for a puppy. I couldn't say no to her. That was the first thing in years she had asked for and it was one I wanted to say yes to. Sheila would never let her have a puppy, the closest thing she got to a pet were gold fish. I bought the others puppies because well what kind of father gets one child a pet and not the other five? Now if you really want me to get rid of the dogs fine but you have to tell them that it's you that wants the dogs gone." he finished.

Gail narrowed her eyes at him. She stood up and headed back toward the living room.

"You want me to be the bad guy? Fine I will." she said as she walked out of the room.

Ira did a double take as he shot to his feet and followed her. He thought he had made a pretty convincing argument that she wouldn't take the pets away from the group.

He stepped into the room right next to his mom.

"Kids." she said getting the attention of everyone in the room.

Ira let out a small smile as the group on the floor all looked up at her with grins on their faces and puppies in their hands. Dawns puppy was licking her chin. Buffys puppy was biting her ear causing the blond to shake her head slightly. Xander and Andrew were making faces as their puppies were biting their noses. Faiths puppy was waging its tail and barking at its owner. If his mother still refused to let them keep the animals after looking at the scene he was sure it would be Willows that would break the ice around the older woman's heart. Willows puppy was tangled up in her hair growling as the redhead laughed. A laugh that Gail hopefully wouldn't be able to resist.

"Yes grandma?" Dawn asked drawing Gail from her slightly dazed state.

Gail snapped out of it then turned to look at Ira, he was giving her a smile. She knew, he knew that he had won. He knew after seeing how happy they were she wouldn't be able to tell them no. She gave him a look that let him know she was not a happy camper.

"What are their names?" Gail asked sitting down next to Icahbod.

"Mo-Jo." Willow said holding up her little puppy.

"Cocopuff." Buffy replied holding up her dog.

"You are naming your dog after a cereal?" Laim asked with a raised eyebrow at the blond on the floor.

Buffy nodded as Cocopuff barked at the boy.

"Wookie." Andrew told Gail smiling.

Everyone looked at him funny, Phillip was even laughing at his friends name choice.

"Why Wookie?" Isaiah asked running his hand through his hair. He had a bemused smile on his face.

"He looks like Wookie from Star Wars."

Faith was looking at her dog with pure concentration. She had no idea what to name the little mixed color ball of fur.

"Any suggestions?" she asked to the room at large while holding up the little bundle of fur and teeth.

Everyone looked at the tiny animal dangling from her hands. The dog was a mix of reds, browns, white, and black.

"Henze?" Sara pipped up.

"Like the sauce?" Faith asked quizzically as she examined the dog as the other brunette nodded her head. "Works for me." the slayer said shrugging.

Dawn took this opportunity to hold up her own little pet and declare, "This is, Sandy."

"It's a boy Dawn." Noah said looking at the girl funny.

"So?" she asked hugging Sandy to her.

"That poor dog is gonna have an identity crises." Jenoah said laughing.

Dawn just glared at him.

"Like the dog from Annie?" Carissa asked the brunette who was currently shooting daggers at her brother with nothing but her eyes.

Dawns blue eyes lit up and she nodded her head in Carissas direction.

"Fifi, That ain't a name for this mutt.

So how about Champion?

Champion you're anything but." Rosabella started to sing, but was interrupted by Ian.

"Please don't sing that song." he said rubbing his face.

"Why you gonna start crying again?" Natanael asked his face lighting as he grinned at his cousin.

Ian just glared at the other boy, reached over and punched him in the arm.

"Someone will be telling me about that right?" Dawn wanted to know looking at the girls.

"Xander what about your puppy? What are you going to name it?" Gail asked.

"Uh, Whiteout." he replied.

Everyone in the room looked at him funny.

"Xan you can't name a dog Whiteout." Buffy said to him shaking her head.

"Why not you named your dog after a breakfast food. Faith named hers after a condiment, Dawn named hers after a movie dog, Andrew named his after a freaking Star Wars character and Willow named hers after, well I'm not sure where she got that name, but I can name mine Whiteout if I want to." he retorted.

"I like it." Sara said as she climbed down on the floor and petted Whiteout.

"Alright enough with the dogs. Girls laundry, the boys gathered it you need to sort." Gail commanded of the group.

Slowly the four girls climbed to their feet.

"I just want to say it is unfair that _we_ should be the ones to sort the clothes when it probably didn't even take them that long to gather them. There are like twelve of them and four of us that's three times more then us." Dawn complained.

"Well look at that honey, that summer school is working, she knows her math." Icahbod declared turning to face Gail.

The room at large gave slight chuckles as the four girls disappeared through the doorway. The Miller girls all sat down to occupy their time with the puppies. Sara was playing with Whiteout, as Xander watched. Andrew held Wookie out to Rosabella and Joshua. A loud scream came from the laundry room that made everyone jump. Heads whipped toward the door, the sound of footsteps coming toward them drew their attention.

Willow stepped into the room, or at least they thought it was Willow it was hard to tell what with the person being covered in dirty clothes.

"We are okay there was just a clothes avalanche." she said as she ripped the clothing from her head.

One look at the article in her hand had her scowling.

"Ew, and now I know how Efren felt that day with the underwear." the redhead said.

"Would you like some help? The sooner we get that done the sooner we can get to our sleepover." Cara asked.

"I can't ask you to do that you're guests. Guests don't help sort clothes." Willow replied.

The Miller girls all looked at each other with confounded looks on their faces then at Willow then back at each other, then broke out laughing.

"We are family you silly girl. That's why there are so many of us, we were put on this earth to protect it from them." Alessa said as the group of girls climbed to their feet pointing at the large group of boys during the last part.

"Hey we aren't that bad. I mean we picked up the clothes." Natanael pipped up.

"Only because grandma Gail made you." Katrina snorted to the boy.

Anabella led the group of girls to the laundry room to help. Willow looked back at the group in the living room.

"I'm pretty sure child slavery is illegal." she said.

"It is, but you are not a child now go." Gail said shooing her away.

After Willow walked out of the room Natanael looked to his brothers and cousins and said in a loud voice.

"I feel like playing a little video games who wants to join me?" he said as he got up and walked toward the stairs. The rest of the boys followed.

Over the years the boys had all developed their own code, it was their way of outsmarting their grandmother. Efren grabbed Xander and Andrew and pulled them from the room as well.

The group all gathered in Natanaels room to hear what he had planned.

"Who wants to crash a slumber party?" he asked with a bit of evil shinning in his brown eyes.

"That depends. Who's party ? If you are talking about the girls then I'm sure you've suffered brain damage somewhere along the way in your life." John commented giving his cousin a look that said he was suicidal.

"Oh come on guys, this is the perfect opportunity to find out what goes on in their heads. I mean I was talking with Alessa the other day and everything was great then out of no where she starts yelling at me about some girl that had waved at me."

"Where you checking the other girl out?" Jenoah asked feeling the need to punch his friend for looking at another girl when his cousin's heart was on the line here.

"No I only have eyes for Lessa and she knows that." Natanael professed his eyes glazing over in anger at the mere thought of Jenoah suggesting such a thing.

Jenoah's eyebrow rose up as he pinned his friend with a questioning look.

"Are you sure about that? I mean I would hate to have to beat the crap out of you for looking at another girl and breaking my cousins heart."

"Hey what's with the threats?" Zach asked as he turned to look at the older boy.

"Just looking out for my family. I'm sure you would do the same if you had as many girls in your family."

"Oh that's true I threatened Graham just before he went off to Sunnydale. He didn't really appreciate the conversation." Efren said as he joined the discussion.

Everyone's heads turned to look at the usually somber guy.

"You threatened Graham? Why? I don't really see the need to threatened Graham but what did you say to him?" Isaak inquired.

Efren shrugged. "He was going away to College in the same town our only female cousin whom he was in love with lived in. I felt it was a necessary evil to insure bodily harm and possible death if he should cheat on her or knock her up which ever came first."

"How do you know it worked? I mean he could have knocked her up two or three times while they were in Sunnydale and none of us would have known about it." Laim said wondering if his cousin could be that thick to think that the older couple wouldn't have taken their relationship to that level yet. Even if Willow did say she was still a virgin, he had a feeling that it was to save face where their grandmother was concerned.

"Willow wouldn't have allowed it."

"She's a girl who loves him I bet he got farther then he had before."

Ian held up his hand a pained expression on his face. "Can we please stop talking about Willow and Grahams possible sex life? I already want to hunt Graham down and kill him then gouge my eyes out while banging my head on a brick wall."

"Can I pick the wall?" his brother asked.

"Shut up, John." Ian growled.

"Okay so back to our point of topic who wants to help spy on the girls. We could maybe even learn some trade secrets." Natanael urged.

"Will how do you suppose we do that I mean I'm not the smartest guy around but I'm pretty sure that they would notice fourteen guys in the room with them." Joshua said for the first time.

"Ah my dear little brother that is where Efren and his technical equipment comes in. We need to work fast, Efren you need to go to the security room and get a couple of microphones and a few cameras. Set them up around Willows room."

Efrens face went from bored to fearful. He narrowed his eyes at his younger cousin. He was not too happy about this plan. He would have to deal with the anger from not just his cousin but his violence happy girlfriend and the rest of the girls if he were caught.

"Uh I'm not liking this plan." he said raising his hand.

"I'll go to get the equipment." Andrew volunteered.

Everyone looked at the last person in the room that they would have thought to ask. Phillip looked at his friend with doubt.

"Um, Andy I don't think.." he started but was interrupted.

"OH! He could do it." Xander exclaimed pointing to Andrew. "He and his friends set up spy cameras all over Sunnydale back before he was our hostage."

He then did a quick run through of how the three boys had planted cameras all over the Summers home and the Magic box. The rest of the boys all stared from the geeky sci-fi boy to each other. If worse came to worse they could just say that the boy had acted alone.

"Alright Andrew do what you got to do."


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I just own the families that aren't canon.

Chapter 8

After thirty minutes of sorting clothes the girls all kissed their parents and grandparents and headed up to Willows room.

Sara, Buffy, Faith and Willow all sat on the bed as the rest of the girls set up their sleeping bags on the floor. Everyone had already changed into their night clothes, not knowing that they had given the group of fourteen boys a free show. Dawn and Karisa were giggling at the puppies that were running around the room attacking the sleeping bags.

"It's been so long since we've had a good girls night." Alessa supplied as she sat on her sleeping bag that was a deep purple color.

"Oh I know it's been so long since we've all been able to have the same weekend with out any plans. I swear when you two went away to college it really killed our quality time." Katrina pouted pinning her two older sisters with a look.

Sara rolled her eyes at her younger sister.

"I will be sure to tell the dean at Julliard that I need more time off to spend with my sisters. Maybe he will even make it a holiday." the older brunette countered.

"You're abusing sarcasm Sar." Cara informed her cousin.

"I know." Sara replied throwing her a dazzling smile.

The rest of the girls burst out laughing.

"It hasn't been that long for us. What was it just around a month and a half since we had all the Slayer wannabes?" Dawn asked as she sat down on her own sleeping bag.

"That don't count D. There is now way I am counting the wannabe brats as quality girl time." Faith said shaking her head.

"I was unaware that you even liked quality girl time Faith. I never knew you even acknowledged what a sleep over was." Dawn said.

Faith countered by throwing her pillow at the younger girl.

"What is all this Slayer business about anyway. I mean Ira never fully explained it to anyone other then the parents and grandparents. I for one would LOVE to know what kind of dangerous things my sister-in-law has been up to all this time." Kyara said sitting down next to her twin and Dawn.

The other girls all looked over at Buffy and Faith, who then looked at each other. Faith gave a shrug and motioned for Buffy to inform the group of their chosen destiny.

"Well, um Wills would you like to to them? I just know how much you enjoy giving the speech. " the blond inquired of her redheaded friend who just looked at her and shook her head in amusement.

"It's pretty cut and dry. The things that our parents always told us where fake are really real. Like the Boogyman, or werewolves."

"Wasn't there a kid in our Junior class that Giles thought might have been a werewolf?" Buffy asked breaking in to the explanation.

"That Osbourn kid. Yeah I remember him. He was a guitar player in that band that Cordy dated the lead singer right? He also saved Red when those assassins came after Buffy right?" Faith concluded.

"You weren't even there at the time." Dawn said.

"I've heard stories."

"Assassins? Someone sent assassins after you?"

"Yep. One dressed up as a cop at Career day and tried to shoot me. I was running and she almost shot Willow if it weren't for that Osbourn kid." Buffy replied.

"Can I continue or do you want to change the subject?" Willow asked a little annoyed that they had interrupted her. She was a bit like Giles in that aspect. She hated to be interrupted.

"Sorry." three voices chimed all of them dripping in shame.

The Miller girls all grinned at the four other females. It sure was an adventure with them.

"As I was saying, everything that we have ever been told wasn't real by the light of day is. Thousands of years ago a group of men picked one girl in all the world to defend it against the forces of darkness. They named her The Slayer. A Slayer doesn't have a very long life span some don't last but maybe months after being called. When the current slayer dies the next one is called." Willow started to continue.

"How is Faith a slayer if Buffy is still alive?" Anabella wanted to know.

"I died when I was fifteen." Buffy stated simply.

"Well for a rotting corpse you look great." Rosabella replied nodding her head once.

Buffy smiled at her.

"So... Buffy died then Faith was called?" Kyara wanted to know.

"No. Kendra was called." Dawn told her.

"Who?"

"The slayer that was called before me. She was killed a year after she was called." Faith said.

"Okay how was she killed? Wait how was BUFFY killed? What happened that made you not, you know dead?" Carissa asked confused wrinkling her brows.

"Vamp killed Kendra I was framed for her murder. I drowned my Sophomore year Xander gave me CPR." Buffy told her in a droond voice.

The Miller girls all looked dumbfounded at each other. Sara had a dazed look on her face then she broke out grinning.

"Xander saved you? He had to give you mouth to mouth?" she asked with a devious glint in her eyes.

"Yes he did." Buffy said shuddering. "I love Xand but back then he had that little crush on me and well it's weird to think about since I see him as a brother."

"Speaking of the the adorableness that is Xander. What is going on with the two of you?" Dawn asked as she looked at Sara.

"What's going on between you and my cousin?" Sara retorted giving Dawn her own look.

Dawn ducked her head.

"Nothing. He's cool, we get along." the embarrassed girl muttered as the rest of the group laughed.

"Yeah sure." Katrina replied.

"Ok ok, back to the slayer thing. I get how Buffy, Faith and Dawn are apart of it. Two slayers and a little sister of a slayer, but how did you get mixed in with all this Wills?" Arianna clarified.

"I was almost sacrificed to the Master, Sophomore year of High school. He was a centuries old vampire. Buffy and Xander saved me and Jesse. We got out but were attacked they grabbed Jesse a second time and he was turned. I decided that Buffy would need help in her role as the Slayer and well we've been known as the Scoobies ever since."

"Weren't you in a coma the next year?" Alessa asked thoughtfully.

Willow nodded her head.

"That would explain Grahams sudden interest in the Military. That was the Summer he joined." the younger girl supplied.

_**'Ding!' **_

"Baby?"

All the girls turned their heads toward Willows laptop. Several of them looked back from the closed laptop to Willow who's head was tilted to the side.

Sara leaned over and whispered. "Your laptop called you baby. Does my bother know his competition is an electronic device?"

Willow rolled her eyes at the other girl. "It IS your brother you crazy girl. I left it on he must have gotten chat time." she said moving the laptop on to the bed in front of her. Opening the lid and there was Graham, his blue eyes lighting up when he saw her.

She could see over the top of the laptop, Rosabella leaned over and whispered what looked like, "Speak of the devil." to her sister.

"Baby!" he exclaimed. "I was beginning to the think you weren't around your laptop."

"Hey, I see you made it back to the unknown safe and sound." she replied.

"I did and it's pretty early here so I snuck into the tent to see if I could catch you before you went to bed. I miss you." he told her. Willow could see all the girls over the top of the computer give a silent AW.

"I miss you too. How did your C.O. take the news that I wasn't dead?" she asked.

Graham chuckled at that. "Well... let's just say he took it better then some of my squad did. I told Ri the truth and he just got really quite which is odd for him but then for two days he wouldn't talk to me."

"Oh. Is he talking to you again? Do I need to reinstate the shovel beating speech? Although last time it was about his relationship with Buffy but I'll extend it to him ignoring my man."

Willow could see that other girls in the room stifle laughs at her. They really didn't get out much if they thought that the conversation between her and Graham was humorous.

"Can we not talk about that right now baby? I had a purpose for trying to catch you this early." his voice took on a silky tone.

"Okay, what was the purpose for the video chatting at this time? " she asked.

"What are you wearing?" he asked.

She knew he could see her nightgown. She locked her eyes on the screen and she saw him smirking. Oh he wanted to play that game? She had the urge to tell him that she wasn't alone in the room but she was feeling a bit bad and wanted to see how far he would go with the game.

"You can obviously see I am wearing a nightgown." she told him.

"I want to see what's under it." he replied. He knew that chances of seeing her strip where next to none. They had played this game several times he would pick on her, trying to get he to give him a strip tease. She never would but it was fun to see her blush.

At his comment the eyebrows on all the girls went up. They had no idea that it was just a game the two played.

"Nope. Not gonna happen." she said blushing cause she knew that the group of girls in her room where now looking at her in shock. She could tell that the Miller girls were at a cross between blushing and wanting to groan.

"Why not? It's not like we haven't done this before. There's no one here on my end sept me." he challenged as he took off his shirt.

Buffy had a sly smirk on her face while she was also trying to cover Dawns ears. Dawn was grinning while swatting away her sisters hands. Faith was shoving her head into a pillow her body shaking with laughter. The Miller girls all had looks of shock on their faces, then those looks turned to disgust when they realized that their brother/cousin was the subject of visuals in their heads.

"Well while you don't have anyone on your end I do." she told him softly.

His blue eyes widened in fear.

"Oh, god please tell me I didn't just say all of that in front of Grandma Gail or worse your dad?" he stuttered out while reaching for his shirt.

Willow didn't have time to say anything before Faiths voice boomed out across the room.

"I'm impressed that Willow and Cookie boy have gotten their Cyber sex on before."

Then she promptly shoved her face back into the pillow in her lap as laughter over took her.

"Oh god it's worse then Grandma Gail or your dad. Faith? You let me talk like that with Faith in the room?" he scolded.

"Hey don't go blaming Willow for it. You didn't give her a chance to tell you she wasn't alone before you started the Cyber sex talk, and can I just say EW." Carissa called out.

"Oh god, Carissa is there? It could be worse, I guess." he moaned as he rubbed his hands across his face.

"It is." Willow muttered before turning the laptop around to show the room of girls.

"I could have gone forever without knowing about yours and Willows computer activities bro." Sara said shaking her head.

A loud 'thud' could be heard from Grahams end of the computer. Willow went around to the end of her bed and sat in front of the laptop so she could see him and he could chat with his sisters and cousins.

"That's it I'm a dead man when I get home." he moaned.

"Why do you say that?" Alessa asked her big brother.

"Once mom and grandma and not to mention grandma Gail finds out about this I'm so dead. That is if Ira don't kill me first."

"Oh trust us, we have no intentions of telling anyone about this. We are going to need therapy as it is." Anabella told him with a shiver.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters you know.

Chapter 9

_**Switches to Grahams side of the computer. **_

_***Indicates a flashback. ** Flashback within a flashback. **_

Graham gave a strained smile and a tilt of his head. He felt like banging his head against the table again. He really could not believe that he had said all of that in front of not just Buffy and Dawn but his sisters and cousins and worst of all Faith as well.

"Yo Miller!" a voice shouted from behind Graham. He could see all of his sisters and cousins perk up at the greeting. "What are you doing in here man? The... Oh hello ladies. Hey guys Miller is talking to girls.. a whole harem of girls." the other man yelled out to the remaining troops out side the tent.

Graham reached up and smacked him on the head.

"They are not a harem." he started but was interrupted when he was pushed aside falling to the ground as the computer was taken over by his fellow soldiers.

"Miller dude why have you been holding out on us man. Why hello there ladies. What would your wife say if she knew you were chatting up a whole gangly of girls?" said another one of the men.

Graham had the urge to wipe out half of his platoon, as he picked himself up off the ground in time to hear another one of the soldiers make a pass at Willow. He was reaching for his teaser when a familiar voice rang through the tent.

"I wouldn't be hitting on any of them if you want to keep your teeth in your heads." the rough country voice of Riley Finn bellowed out from the entrance of the tent.

The group of six men looked toward their fellow solider as he walked farther into the inclosed space.

"Why not? I mean these are some very hot looking girls. I can even get over the fact that a few look under aged. I kind of want to get to know that brunette right there. Hey there sugar what's your hourly rate?" replied one of the more sleazy men.

Riley looked to the screen and saw the girl he was pointing at. Riley gave a gruff laugh.

"Michael, you just signed a death warrant." the ex-UCSunnydale student said as he went to stand beside his best friend.

Michael looked from the screen to the other two men.

"Why's that?"

"Faith could kick your butt, kill you, bury you and not break a sweat. Oh and another thing." Graham replied. Michael never saw the fist coming, but the room got quite when Grahams fist made contact with the other mans face.

"Most of those girls ARE underage you freaking pedo. If I so much as catch you even thinking about any of them I'll kill you myself." Graham growled at the other man.

Everyone in the tent and in Willows bedroom and unbeknown to any of them the boys in Natanials rooms, mouths were open in shock.

"Hot dang! I never thought I'd say this but Red I love your taste in men. Now you can't tell me that, didn't turn you on just a little bit Wills." Faiths voice called out over the speakers. A whispered, "Shut up Faith!" was heard.

"Hey punch him a couple of times for B too, Cookie." Faith called out once more.

The soldiers that had been in shock started snickering, even Riley. Graham shook his head in amusement. He looked up just in time to see their C.O. Commander Gravestone step into the tent. Micheal was still sprawled out on the ground with Graham standing over him. Grahams blue eyes followed his C.O.s eyes to Graham balled fist to the computer screen and then to Micheal.

"Which one did he proposition?" their C.O. asked as he looked down on Micheal.

"It wasn't which one, though he did proposition one, she could handle him, it was more or less he said he could over look the age of the underage girls, that got him punched sir." Riley spoke up.

Commander Gravestone nodded once while looking down at Micheal muttering "Good job Miller." then walked over to the computer.

"The boys have to go now ladies. Miller come say goodbye to them. Is one of them your girl?" the older man inquired.

"They all are on some level sir. Most of them are my sisters and cousins. Three of them I hope to make my sister in laws and well the last one is my girl."

"Which one of you is his girl?" the older man asked looking at the screen now. When none of them moved or said anything he turned to Graham who pointed to the redhead on the screen.

"She's pretty. Nice catch Miller. Which one is Finns ex?" he asked once again.

Again Graham pointed out the required girl. Commander Gravestone looked from the screen to Riley then back again.

"You're an idiot Finn. You could learn a thing or two from Miller. Now say goodbye to the girls fellas. Oh and Micheal tell them you are sorry."

Most of the soldiers waved and called out goodbyes to the girls as they made their way of out the tent. Micheal muttered an apology to them then almost ran out of the tent. Riley and Graham were the only two left.

"Sorry I didn't get to talk with you longer baby. Duty calls you know how it is. Now everyone there take care and watch each others backs OK? I love you all I miss you and I can't wait to come home. Faith I am sorry for what Micheal said and don't worry I WILL get him back for it. Tell everyone I love them and I will see you all soon. Nature, look at me please?" Graham said as his eyes landed on his girlfriend who would not look at the screen.

She slowly turned her face to look at him. Her face was a mask of anger. He knew it wasn't directed toward him, it could have been toward Riley but he doubted it.

"Baby?"

"Be careful okay? I want you to come home to us safe, and you too Riley." her voice said so softly that he almost didn't hear her.

"We will baby. I've got to go now. I love you Nature." he said as he heard his C.O. yelling at them to get out of the tent.

"Love you too Cookie." she said as the communication was lost.

Graham sighed as he and Riley made their way out of the tent. They walked over to where their platoon waited.

"Well now that Cookie has talked with Nature can we get back to our jobs fellas." the C.O. Ordered the group to get back to work.

Graham wondered how he had known about the nicknames though he figured the others had mentioned the 'Cookie' comment that Faith had made. Shrugging it off Graham and Riley followed the troops back into the woods. They hadn't really talked much since Graham had confessed to who it was he was 'married' to. He thought back to a few weeks before.

_* Graham stepped off the plane and onto the dirt floor of the jungle that had been his home for the last three years. He silently made his way toward the base camp with his duffel bag slung over his shoulder. He hadn't really thought of not needing the bag until he had already been halfway back to America. Once he had landed he had just stuffed it in to a locker at the airport and hailed a cab. His mind had been so wrapped in the news he had received that he hadn't been thinking straight. The transmission from the phone call had been dropping in and out so he had to ask his grandfather to repeat the massage a few times before he was able to piece it all together, before he did all he could understand was. _

"_Sunny... is... Can't...get...low." _

_After about the sixth time asking him to repeat it Graham finally heard him loud and clear._

"Sunnydale is gone. We can't get a hold of Willow."

_Graham shuddered at that memory. _

_His heart had literally sunk to his feet as he dropped the phone. His Commanding Officer had been standing near by and when Graham dropped the phone he rushed over after looking at the shock and fear that was clearly etched on the face of one of his best men._

"Miller is everything alright son?" he had asked.

_"She's gone." Graham whispered in shock. _

_Commander Gravestone motioned for one of the other men to grab the stool that was against the tents. It was one of those cloth covered chair stools, he had found it to be very uncomfortable. Graham had been shoved on to the chair as his mind raced. He was resisting the urge to punch something, mostly likely that something would end up being Commander Gravestone. He didn't want to admit that he had failed in protecting her. He heard the commotion from outside the tent. Just like the conversation with his grandfather he registered bits and pieces of it. _

_The words Sunnydale , Hellmouth and crater rang into his ears. He let out a strangled sob. He was a soldier he wasn't suppose to cry._

"_Miller who's gone? You need to talk to me son." he heard Commander Gravestone say._

Graham struggled to find the words that he wanted to ...no wanting to say it would mean he had wanted her dead he didn't want that but he needed to tell Commander Gravestone what happened, there where the words he needed to say, but he couldn't . He let out another sob. Not wanting to cry he didn't want to admit that she was gone. He slowly regained control of himself. He looked at Commander Gravestone and in a voice he didn't recognize as his own he said.

"My wife was in Sunnydale."

_It took Commander Gravestone and the other men in the tent a minute to process what they had just heard. It took Commander Gravestone another minute to jump into action. Just hours later Graham was on a flight back to the states to attend Willows funeral. No-one in the platoon had the nerve or will power to question Grahams declaration of having a wife. Riley had given him a funny look but he had let it go. Graham had been at his family's home waiting for them to return from the funeral. He hadn't had the will to go. He couldn't say goodbye to her he didn't want to say goodbye to her._

_He was sitting in his room staring down at the photo strip in his hand. It was one of those photo booth strips that came from a boardwalk or carnival. In the tiny frame Graham was gazing at Willow who was sitting in his lap. In the picture below it Willows face was lit up with a smile as she looked down at the ring in his hand. In the next picture Willows head was turned to him and she had a smile on her face . The next picture his head was leaning in toward hers. The last one had their lips attached to each other. It was one of the rare moments where they hadn't cared if their friends had found out about them. He remembered when he had given her the promise ring. It was during the UC Sunnydale campus fair. The ringing of his cell phone had brought him out of the memory._

"Hello." he said gruffly.

"Get here NOW." he heard his dad demand.

Graham ran his hand over his face.

"I really don't want to be there dad. I mean.."

_"She's alive." was all he heard and he was bolting out the door._

It took him less then three minutes to get to the house. He punched in his code as fast as he could and ran from his car. Throwing open the door and he felt his spirit rush back to him when he saw the scoobies standing there with their mouths hanging open, then he rushed to her. He hated to leave her so soon but he knew she had her family and that was all she had ever really needed.

"Miller welcome back. Sorry you had to leave so soon after your wife's funereal." Commander Gravestone had called out upon seeing him entering the camp.

"Commander can we speak in privet?" Graham had asked and after a quick run down of their relationship Graham was released back into the combat zone.

_**** It wasn't until the next day when Riley cornered him did Graham realize that he wasn't the only one that had been scared about the group that had helped protect Sunnydale for so long.**_

"So how come I've never heard about your wife?" Riley asked as they were finishing maneuvers.

_**Graham groaned. He had known he would have to tell Riley eventually but he was fearing the worst. **_

"_**Not really married." he replied.**_

"So you lied to our Commanding Officer? Gutsy. Where did you go if not to a funeral?"

"Not entirely. I do have a girl back home. Thought she was dead. Went home for her funeral and she ended up walking in on it. Besides if anyone understands the need to lie to a commanding officer I figured it would be you."

"_**Wait so you now understand why I did what I did back in college? Could you explain it to Forrest, cause I think he is still angry with me. There is a difference though, my girl was fighting the forces of evil where was your girl for three days? Did she get lost at the mall or something." he asked snickering cause he knew Graham wasn't into the airhead type.**_

"Nope she was fighting the forces of evil." Graham replied gauging Riley's reaction.

"What do you mean? You are dating a Slayer? You're dating BUFFY?" he asked with a slight rage in his voice.

"Of course not man. I would never do that to you. I've known my girl a lot longer then that. My girl just happens to be one amazing Wicca." Graham watched as realization dawned in Rileys brown eyes.

"Willow? Your girlfriend is WILLOW? Wait so dose that mean she knew about the Initiative before Buffy had found out? Hold it, you wanted to take her in for testing after we found Spike in her room." Riley's mind catching up with everything that the Initiative had done to Buffy, even if it meant Graham had to go against his heart and hurt the one girl he cared about for his job.

_**"Yes Willow is my girlfriend. Yes she knew about the Initiative. I wasn't going to let you guys take her in for testing. I wasn't sure how I would have gotten her away from you guys if Buffy hadn't of shown up when she did but I wasn't going to let the Initiative get it's paws on her. I knew that if I voted against Forrest then he would have started snooping and I had tried to keep my relationship with her out of their noses. I mean you saw what Maggie did to Buffy. I wasn't about to let them do something like that to Willow." Graham watched as Riley let the information begin to sink in. **_

"_**I need some time." Riley replied as he walked off. **_

_**End of flashbacks**_

"So Willow huh?" Riley's voice broke the silence that surrounded them.

Graham looked sharply at his best friend. He had a blank look on his face. Rileys eyes looking straight ahead of them.

"Yeah." Graham answered uneasily.

He knew Riley was still a bit upset about how things in Sunnydale had gone but he wasn't sure how well he had adjusted to the relationship between himself and Willow.

Riley nodded his head in thought. Then he turned to look at the man that walked beside him and who had his back.

"Tell me about it." the small town country boy said.

Graham smiled.

"Our grandfather's are best friends, shoot our whole families are. Any way I was the first grand kid on my families side she was the first grand kid on her families."

"What, so what your families played matchmakers?" Riley asked a bit of a smile on his lips.

"Not really. It just sort of happened naturally. We were raised together, in the summers when she wasn't in Sunnydale, and she was also best friends with my little sister Sara. We were just always together. So when we were about twelve I asked her to marry me. We had one of those little backyard play weddings, and ever since our families have called us husband and wifey."

Riley nodded once again.

"So what about Sunnydale?" he wanted to know.

"Sunnydale was my decision. Willow had no idea I was even in Sunnydale until the summer before her and Buffy's freshman year. I had joined the military because she had been knocked unconscious by a bookcase during a raid on the library her Junior year of high school and I swore nothing would hurt her again if I could help it. I was doing a great job at laying low until the high school blew up, which I later found out was them killing the mayor. Our team had been sent to investigate the amounts of deadly weapons the student body was stocking up on, remember that?"

"Yeah I remember. Maggie thought that they were going to pull off a massacre."

"Well it was Giles and the group stocking up on protection, it didn't really matter since by the time we got there the school was in flames anyway. We were slinking around in the bushes, I broke off from the squad and pulled off my uniform. I had to make sure she was alright so I went in as a civilian. I was in a panic because I couldn't find her at first, I finally saw Buffy and her standing beside each other but unfortunately she had seen me too I knew I couldn't just disappear she'd be upset with me. I had just wanted to get a glimpse to reassure my self that she was okay. When Buffy was distracted by Giles she had ran straight to me. She asked what I was doing there and I told her I was there for her graduation. She grilled me as we stood beside a firetruck. I didn't tell her right then and there why I was in Sunnydale I kept to the story that I was there for her graduation. It was the next night that I had explained the situation to her in the privacy of her room. She understood and told me she wouldn't say anything to the others about the Initiative unless necessary. We had decided that it was best if we didn't say anything to anyone about knowing each other once she got to the college. It was so hard and upsetting to have sit back and watch her get emotionally abused by that Percy West moron and when she told me how Parker came on to her, oh I wanted to find him and beat him with Buffys stick. Actuality what I wanted to do with that stick had nothing to doing with beating him up I wanted to shove it in places that he wouldn't have liked very much. It was when Maggie had gone after Buffy that I knew I had made the right choice of not saying anything about Willow. I wasn't happy that she had involved herself with the raid on the Initiative, but I was thrilled that Buffy and the others were watching out for her."

During Grahams confession they had made it back to base with a very uneventful hunt under their belts. Riley had been quite during most of the story, he had noticed he wasn't the only one that had paid attention to what his friend had said. Most of the platoon were sitting around after patrol and they had all listened to most of what Graham had to say. They were all slacked jawed and staring at him in shock. Graham for his part came out of his memories to see everyone looking at him.

"What?" he asked.

Riley laughed. He full out fell into the nearest chair and laughed.

"I've known you longest and that is the most I have ever heard you say in one go. I'd say Willows babbling rubbed off on you." the laughing man said.

Graham grinned. "What can I say after you've been with someone for so long your habits become theirs and vice verses."

Riley nodded. He looked up at his friend.

"I'm glad you found the one you love so early in life Gray. Willow's a heck of a woman. She threatened to beat me with a shovel if I ever hurt Buffy." the farm boy said just before his face fell. "Oh god your wife is going to kill me."

Everyone started laughing at the look of pure horror on Rileys face. Graham was shaking his head in thought. Riley stood up and was shaking his head.

"No that means I can never come to visit you and Willow. I'm going to have to go into the Witness protection program or fake my own death or something. As you pointed out your wife is one awesome Wicca. She could probable kill me with just a thought."

Graham was giving his friend a steady look like he was trying to read him. He finally nodded.

"You're right. She's going to kill you. Wow, sucks to be you next time you see her."


	10. Chapter 10

Title: If today was your last day.

Spoilers: Kinda AU through some of the seasons. Which means that some things in the

Buffyverse happened and some of them didn't, so if you haven't seen the whole

series or don't know how it ended don't read.

Things that didn't happen in the Buffyverse for this story.

wasn't evil. Alan got to the Slayers in time and a plan was hatched.

and Willow were just friends.

3. Tara was killed and Willow went slightly evil. She tracked Warren and put him in

jail. He was killed in prison by a fellow inmate

4. Anya is dead. She wasn't a vengeance demon, just a normal girl that had

transferred to Sunnydale during senior year

5. No Spuffy

6. Robin and Faith were just a one-time thing.

7. The SITs are all gone, they went their separate ways after the fight

8. Kennedy and Willow were never together.

9. Forrest didn't die, he was injured in the final showdown in the Intuitive and

was given an honorable discharge

10. Dawn is real.

11. Buffy did die fighting Glory, they both fell through the portal. Willow brought

Buffy back though.

12. No Oz and Willow

13. Willow never had a thing for Xander.

A/N: Takes place after the series finale.

**BlueTalith: Whoa that was a very encouraging review. I am so sorry it has taken me so long to update but I hope the next few chapters make up for the delay. **

**Melissa: Thank you for the review. I understand all too well about the love of Oz and I started out as a solid Willow/Oz shipper but over the years saw that she could fit well with other people. Yes you are right Faith was never around and as far as I know was never told of Oz saving Willows life, but that is why I added the line about her hearing a story. **

The next morning Gail and Isabelle were sitting the table for breakfast. As Lia and Selvia helped Lillian, Nataila and Moran cooked breakfast. The two groups of women had developed a system over the years. They helped each other with the cooking while keeping Lillian and Abagail away from one another. The two sister-in-laws really rubbed each other the wrong ways at times.

It was also a tradition that every other morning they would get together for breakfast at ones house and that evening the other family would cook dinner.

"Good morning everyone." Ickabod said as he walked into the dining room and kissed each of his daughter in laws and a surprised Lia and Selvia whom laughed it off.

"Good morning dad. Would you mind waking the boys, I'm not sure what time they went to bed but I heard them all shouting last night. Stuff about technology being bad." Moran asked of her father-in-law.

"It would be my pleasure. Should I wake the girls as well?" he asked heading toward the door.

Nataila shook her head.

"No Abby is gonna get them."

Ickabod nodded his head as he walked out of the dinning room and into the living room. He saw Gerardo sitting on the sofa next to Iezekiel as the read the morning paper. Ira, Jeremiah, Darren and Isaiah had just walked into the room followed by Anthony and Michelangelo. He grinned he knew that they would help him in the task of waking the boys.

"So I think it's time to initiate Xander and Andrew into the family." he said loudly grabbing all of their attention.

Every single mans head popped up and looked in his direction. They each had a smile plastered on their face. Each of them climbed to their feet and high fived one another. Anthony and Ira had walked over to the hope chest and pulled out three black duffel bags. Ira handed one off to Darren who was smiling. Darren seemed all prim and proper when he had to be but he loved pulling one over on the kids. At that moment Giles walked into the room.

"Ah, good morning everyone, I trust that you all slept peacefully. Oh, dear lord are you about to off someone?" he asked as he took in the bags and the grins on their faces.

His shocked tone had all of them laughing, they had yet to introduce the other man to the Mob aspect of their lives, they didn't want to scare him too soon.

"What about Rupert pops?" Jeremiah asked in a tone that said he really hated to initiate the British man. He liked the other man.

"No, there is no need to initiate Rupert. Though if he wants to help us he can. The more the merrier."

"Initiate?" Giles asked still in shock.

"Yeah, it's time to welcome Xander and Andrew into the family properly. Though I should have welcomed Xander some time ago." Ira said as he pulled out a paintball gun.

Giles blue eyes widened when he took in the fact that each man was loaded down with a gun. He then grinned evilly, one that his group knew as Ripper, when Jeremiah held one out for him.

"Oh." he said as he took the paintball gun from the muscled man.

"It won't hurt them too badly will it? I mean Andrew is a tiny wimpy little thing. Xander could probable handle it but I'd hate for him to take it personally."

"Just think of all the times Xander has called you, G-man. Andrew, well maybe this will toughing him up a bit." Jeremiah said.

"Yes lets go with those reasoning's." Giles replied as he pointed toward the stairs.

As the group of ten men headed up the stairs Giles couldn't help but think how the boys wouldn't know what hit them. The wicked grin that spread across his face would have scared even the girls. He loved his kids but sometimes a parents got to show tough love.

"Boys?" Darren called out as he knocked on the door.

There was no answer. Turning back toward the group he smiled. He lightly turned the knob and stuck his head in. He saw all of the boys scattered around the room, the tv on the wall showed another slumbering scene. Darren slowly closed the door with a puzzled look.

"What?" Ira asked confused by his brothers actions.

Darren held up a hand and made his way toward Willow's room and lightly knocked. When there was no answer he opened the door to revel the girls exactly where they had been on the tv in the boys room. Darren beckoned the others over and pointed inside, after they looked in on the slumbering girls, he motioned them to follow him and he silently opened the door to the boys room and showed them the tv.

After a few double takes from looking at the tv to looking back toward the girls room they all came to a silent agreement. It was at that moment when Abagial walked up the stairs and toward Willows room. Darren called his wife over and showed her the boys room.

"Go wake the girls up but do it quietly and have them meet us out here. I'm not sure if they have microphones up or not." he told his angry strawberry blonde wife.

As Darren talked with her Abby saw Jerimah and Isaiah head back downstairs.

She nodded at her husband and went in to the room to wake the girls up.

Abagail didn't get mad at her boys too often but she drew the line at spying on the girls.

"Sara?" she whispered in to the brunettes ear.

Sara jerked awake.

"Shh. Don't make any noise, I need you to help me wake the girls, but make sure they don't make a sound ok?" she whispered into the confused girls ear.

Sara nodded and leaned over to wake up Katrina knowing she would be the most likely to throw a fit.

"Trina?" she whispered in to her sisters ear and covered her mouth with her hand just before she screamed at her for waking her.

"Somethings up. No noise. Help wake the others." she whispered to her.

Katrina nodded in understanding. She silently climbed out of her sleeping bag and went to wake Alessa.

As each girl were woken up they all nodded their understanding the last four girls were Willow, Buffy, Faith and Dawn. Abby and Sara looked at each other, they weren't sure how the two slayers would react to the way they had been waking everyone up so Abby pointed to Dawn and Willow. Hoping that Dawn and Willow could help with the Slayer dilemma.

"Them first." she whispered.

Sara got down on the floor and whispered into Dawn's ear.

"Dawn." she said just before Dawn shot up but was met with Katrinas hands on her mouth and then Kyara in front of her with a finger on her own mouth telling the startled girl to be quite.

"No noise." Sara whispered.

Dawn looked a bit confused but nodded.

"Need to wake up Faith and Buffy too but.."

Dawn once again nodded.

"No noise." Sara reminded her.

Abby leaned down and whispered into her nieces ear.

"Willow honey wake up."

Unlike everyone else Abby knew Willow wouldn't bolt up and freak out. Her green eyes opened and adjusted on her redheaded aunt.

"No noise." she whispered to her niece.

Willow gave her a confused look but agreed.

"Buffy and Faith need to get up too but we weren't sure how to wake them with out them yelling." the older woman informed her niece in a whisper.

Dawn and Willow looked at each other. Willow nodded at the younger girl who smiled.

"Faith, Buffy. Wake up. Don't make any noises."

Willow whispered into their minds.

Faith jerked awake soundlessly but glared at her friend. Buffy sat up and gave her a confused look. Willow shrugged.

Abby motioned for all the girls to follow her.

They silently made their way into the hallway and was meet by their fathers and uncles.

"Can we talk now?" Cara asked softly.

"Yeah we just couldn't let you make any noise in the bedroom." Abby told her.

"Why? What is my room bugged?" Willow asked with a laugh, but stopped when her dad grabbed her hand and led her toward the room where the boys slept.

Ira held a finger up to his mouth telling her to be quite, just before he opened the door.

Willow was unsure what she was suppose to be seeing as she looked around the room at all the boys. They were scattered much like they girls had been, it was a little funny since they were in pretty much the same positions as their girlfriends had been in her room. She wondered how in-tune they all where with the girls to be able to know where they had each been laying in her room. Then her eyes landed on the tv and she was shocked to see her now empty room on the screen.

Willow stepped back into the hall and shut the door as lightly as she could. Her eyes blazing with anger, she turned to her father.

"They didn't." she demanded knowing it was wrong and they had in fact spied on them.

"They did." he said as he led his angry daughter down the hall and away from the boys room so they could tell the girls their plan.

Dawn's eyes glazed over in confusion when she saw how angry her friend was. The rest of the girls took an inadvertently step back.

"Why are you so...peeved?" Mariella asked.

"Come down stairs and we can all talk." Ickabod instructed them.

The group walked down to the living room while Willow slowly seethed in rage at her cousins, and Xander and Andrew. As Ira lightly pushed Willow on to the sofa Gail and the other women came into the living room.

"Breakfast is ready. Where are the bo..." she was cut off when Darren placed his hand over her mouth. Even with his hand hiding half over her face he could feel his mother glaring at him.

"Mom, I love you please don't glare at me like that but do you see Willows face right now? That's because of them." Darren tried to explain why his hand was firmly over his mothers mouth without incurring the wrath of his angry redheaded Wicca niece.

"Ok I'm still confused. What is going on?" Karisa asked putting her hands on her hips and looking at her father.

"You girls weren't the only ones to have a sleepover last night." Iezekiel answered her.

"Okay.. so what the boys had a boys night, that's not normally something that would make Wills mad and all glow-y. Hey Willow your inner witch is coming out." Sara said.

"True but the boys had a movie to watch." Anthony said this time.

"Still not getting it." Arianna said shaking her head.

"They put cameras in Willows room. My guesses is they did it when you were all sorting the cloths." Michelangelo replied.

The girls all looked a bit confused until their minds registered what they had just been told. One by one each of them morphed into an angry and peeved girlfriend or sister.

"I hope all you Rosenberg men and woman don't mind being childless, well save Ira." Ababella said between clenched teeth just before she started to march toward the stairs to let loose a tirade on the group of boys who had invaded their privacy but was stopped by her sister.

"We can all just split the girls. Ira can have Willow, we will take Buffy, Darren can take Dawnie and Jer can have Faith. Sorry Ishia you're childless." Izekale told his brother.

"No, Bella. I have a better idea." Carrissa told her sister with a smirk ignoring the comment from her fathers best friend.

"Yeah what?"

"Let's embrace the family business." she said.

Carrissa held up the paintball gun that her father had sat down. Then she motioned to the other discarded guns and to the two bags on the floor that still had guns in them.

Each of the girls smiled. They heard the boys making their way down the hall. Each girl reached for a gun and aimed it at the doorway. Willow silently said a spell that would refuse to let the group of boys go once they entered the room. She looked up at her dad with a smile when he handed his gun over to her.

"Good morning..." John said as the group of boys rounded the corner and walked into the room.

"Aw, sh.." Noah started just before Carrissa fired off the first paintball.

The boys all yelped in pain when they were bombarded with the little pellets of paint. It took five minutes for the girls to run out of ammo, but they were thoroughly happy with the results. Each boy sans Andrew stood or was on the ground before them covered in paint and moaning in pain, and a few of them even had black eyes from swatting at the pellets only to hit one another in the face.

"What did we do?" Philip had the nerve to ask, and with a straight face, well as straight as it could be when he was wincing in pain.

Karisa walked over and punched him.

"Oh, fu..owwww" Natanael started to shout as his cousin fell to the floor, only to have Alessa walk up and kick him in the stomach.

"Stop the violence!" Efren shouted as he watched his cousins wither on the floor in more pain then they had already been in. Those freaking paint balls hurt like a mother.

"Now see that's my favorite word." Faith said in a light tone as she sat the paint ball gun down.

She slowly walked toward Efren, who was trying his hardest not to pee in his pants from the look of pure rage in the eyes of his girlfriend but any sign of fear would be a sign of admittance that the group of boys had done something wrong and so far none of the girls had made any claim of why they had awoken in such a mood.

"What? Stop?" Efren asked as he tried to show no fear because he had known her long enough to know that she loved to inflict damage and she didn't care on who.

Faith shook her head from side to side, as she sashayed up to him. In one swift move Faith flipped him over and had her foot on his throat.

"Is this a PMS thing?" John asked softly which he was thinking twice about when his own girlfriend stepped forward.

"Is this a PMS thing? Oh Johnny boy you're gonna wish we were all just PMSing instead of the real reason." she whispered to him just before punching him in the stomach. John fell to his knees doubled over in pain his eyes locking with those of Efrens.

"Impressive." Faith said to the tinier version of herself.

She had found out last night that Katrina was a very gung-ho type of girl. She found a kindred spirit in the girl.

One by one each of the girls found their selves in front of their boyfriends, or potential boyfriends, or in Willow and Buffys case best friend/brother. The boys that were already on the ground stayed there at the mercy of their attackers.

Andrew was off to the side, he was the only one that had escaped the paint balls.

"Are you all just going to stand there and watch them beat us up?" Liam asked in shock at their parents.

"Oh you're right we shouldn't just stand here." Isaiah said as he grabbed Lillians hand and drug her to one end of the sofa and sat down with her on his lap. "Much better, too bad we don't have any popcorn." he said, seconds later a big bowl of popcorn appeared on the table.

"Thanks favorite niece of mine." Isaiah said as he reached into the bowl sat back to watch the show.

"Dad!" Liam whimpered in fear as Rosabella leveled him with a look.

The other parents and grandparents followed Isaiah's action and sat down.

"Much more comfortable." Silvia stated from Anthonys lap, whom also had a hand full of popcorn.

"Okay wait a second. What's gotten all of my girls in such a mood?" Xander asked trying to gauge the responses from each of the girls in front of him. He would silently admit it he was more then a bit scared because not only was he facing Sara's wrath but Willow and Buffy were staring him down as well. He'd known Buffy long enough to know her power and well he pretty much had Willow's moods down to a Science.

"We will make this simple. Natanaels room, tv, my room." Willow said.

"You want Natanaels tv in your room? Isn't that a little selfish of you Wills?" Isaak quipped.

Cara narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend just before hitting him, he groaned as he rubbed his jaw.

"I liked it better when you weren't embracing the family business." he groans echoing the words of Carrisa.

"Why would Willow want Natanaels tv?" Andrew asked genuinely confused.

"She doesn't want the stupid tv, you boys spied on our slumber party." Mariella spat out in anger just before hitting Zach.

"That's what you're mad about?" Andrew spoke again.

All the girls looked toward him, the hatred and distrust in their eyes made him step back in shock. He could see the boys looking at him in disbelief.

"I set all that up." he continued.

The girls all looked sharply back at the boys in front of them.

"Who's idea was it?" Kyara asked.

"Mine." Andrew said as he looked over at her. Normally he wouldn't have taken the bullet for anyone but he kinda feared the boys of the two families more than he feared the girls.

"You really expect us to believe that Andrew set up all of the spy.." Willow started but stopped when she remembered something. Willow tilted her head to the side and locked her gaze on Andrew.

"What is it Red?" Faith asked.

Willow gave a light chuckle.

"Sunnydale, Magic Box, spy cams, any of that ringing a bell?" the redhead asked her friends.

The Miller girls looked confused as Faith, Buffy and Dawn all let out a collective, 'Oh!' and then they turned their attention to the only boy not covered in paint from their previous assault.

"What? What did we miss? Are we not going to kill the boys?" Katrina asked sounding a little upset that they might not get to finish their fight.

"Andrew and his friends had set up spy cameras all over Sunnydale. I just didn't think he'd ever try to pull it off again though. I'm a little impressed." Buffy told the group.

"Really?" Andrew asked perking up at the thought of Buffy thinking he did was impressive.

"Yeah but who put him up to it?" Faith asked a bit doubtful ignoring the slight ting of hope in Andrews voice.

"I said it was my idea." Andrew muttered.

"No offense Andy but you're not smart enough to pull this off on your own. I mean last time you were taking orders from Warren the moron." Faith told him.

Dawn turned back toward the group of colorful boys. "So now the question is which one of them is that suicidal enough to gouge Andrew into doing their dirty work." she said studying each and every boy.

She slowly walked past each of the remaining boys, studying their reactions. She saw Willow do the same thing on the other end. Slowly the two girls came to a stop in front of Natanael, who was still on the ground they both looked down on the fallen boy.

As one the two girls kicked him, not hard enough to cause any permanent damage but enough for him to think about his actions.

"OW! That F-ing hurts." he shouted at them.

"Well maybe the next time you want to spy on girls you won't choose girls that know you well enough to know your guilty face." Allysa said as she too kicked him, though she was trying to crack a rib or two.

Gail and Isabell had seen enough. The two matriarchs stood and lightly pulled their angry granddaughters from their kicking bag. Allysa landed in one last kick before her grandmother pulled her away and grinned when he let out a stream of curses as his hand flew to his now busted nose.

"Okay girls that's enough, you've gotten your revenge, now let the boys try and breath. Now after you boys catch your breath we are going to go in there and eat breakfast and then you will clear the table and clean the kitchen, and while you are all doing that Bella and I will be making a list of things you boys will be doing around the house today as OUR punishment." Gail demanded of the group.

The boys all looked up as one at her.

"But Grandma. Why?" Philip whined.

Gail ticked a perfectly shaped eyebrow at him.

"I know my boys didn't raise a group of Juvenile delinquents. So before you can all get on the wrong path we are going to set you straight." she told him.

"We are the juvenile delinquents? Oh, at least we aren't the ones having cyber sex with Graham!" Natanael gushed at his grandmother.

The sound in the room became very quite and Willows eyes about bugged out of her head at Natanaels declaration. She looked to the girls and saw that their eyes were huge as well. It was Faith that broke the tension.

"Well we'd hope not. I might have to beat the crap out of you for breaking up my Nature girl and Cookie boy." Faith threatened him. She apparently loved the couple together.

The parents were in a confused state. They were looking back and forth between the three and couldn't tell if it was all a joke or if Willow and Graham were actuality having cyber sex.

Ira was praying for it being a joke. He slowly led Willow into the dinning room shutting the door behind them. Willow was looking down at the floor. His heart almost dropped to his feet, at the realization that her's and Graham's relationship had taken that turn. He had always known it would happen but he just hoped they would be married or he would be dead. Dead would have worked so much better for him.

He let out a sigh.

"It's not what you think." she said still looking down at the ground.

Ira had never seen his daughter this, he would say ashamed but her statement led him to believe that they hadn't taken that step and well that just made him confused as to way she had her head down like that.

"Then explain it." he lightly ordered her.

She ran her hand over her face but kept her head down.

"Would you be angry if we had slept together?" she asked still not looking up at him.

Ira sat in a chair and thought about that question. Would he be angry? He honestly couldn't answer that. He knew how Graham felt about Willow, the boy made it clear every chance he could. Ira had seen the two of them grow up together and he always knew that they would be married one day. The two had found their soul mates in each other at such a young age.

"I don't know how to answer that." he replied honestly with another sigh.

Willow slide down to the floor with her back against the wall. She tilted her head back and he could see the tear tracks on her face.

"Daddy." she whispered with an emotion that Ira couldn't really place.

Ira sat and watched her for a minute. He closed his eyes as he thought of the talk that both of them weren't having at the moment. He had known that Sheila had never talked with Willow about the subject that they were both ignoring right now. Ira silently debated on going to get one of the women to do the dirty work. His mom was out of the question, she would probably yank Willow to the nearest store that sold Chasity belts, on second thought that didn't seem like a bad idea to him.

"I'm a virgin." her quite voice broke through his thoughts making him jump a little.

His eyes landed on her and she now had her forehead down resting on her knees that were drawn to her chest. She looked so much like a teenager at that moment that it dawned on him that he had missed out on all that time with her, which was why he was a little freaked out at the thought of her and Graham having sex.

"Okay." he said slowly.

Willow lifted her head and looked at him with shock on her face.

"Okay? I tell you that and all you can say is Okay?" she asked in slight disbelief.

She knew most fathers would be getting down on their hands and knees thanking the havens if their daughters were still virgins, then again she was 21 and should have done had sex with her boyfriend.

"Well what am I suppose to say? In case you haven't noticed I'm a guy, a dad and really out of his dept right now." he sighed.

"The cyber sex thing. It was just a game Graham and I have, he tries to get me to strip and he knows I won't. It's a joke." she tells him.

Willow really couldn't believe that they were having this conversation, let alone with her whole family and her boyfriends family just inches away on the other side of the wooden doors. She never thought that she would be having 'The Talk' with her father, with her Grandmother yes, with her aunts maybe but never with her father.

"Is he pressuring you?" Ira asked reluctantly.

He wasn't sure how this talk was going but his heart was no longer threatening to drop out of his pants leg. He was now wondering if he would have to kill Graham.

"No!" Willow replied in a tone that made it sound like she had been in the middle of a scandal.

She was looking at him like he was crazy for asking such a thing, and maybe he was, but Graham was a boy, Ira was once Grahams age and _knew_ how boys that age thought.

"Just checking." he muttered.

"Dad, do you honestly think Graham would pressure me into doing anything I didn't want to do? I mean really." she asked now looking at him with a look that was just full of humor.

What she found to be funny in this situation was beyond him.

"You love each other." was all he said in a broken voice. 'I'm a mobster! Mobsters don't break down in tears!' he thought to him self.

Willows eyes softened at the way his voice broke on his statement. She was slightly shocked to see her dad on the verge of tears. She crawled on her hands and knees to sit in front of him. She looked him in the eye and smiled.

"Yes we do, but daddy do you honestly think Graham is the type of guy to force someone into having sex with him?"

"It's not someone I'm worried about. You two were away at college, by yourselves, with access to dorm rooms and beds and _our_ house with four bedrooms without any supervision and for all I know you two could have taken that step. College is a time a lot of kids try new things for the first time. Kids get drunk have sex end up pregnant, and all kinds of other crap. I'm not saying that you did and I'm not saying he forced you in to anything but a father can have fears like that can't he?"

Willow looked up at him.

"You've really thought about this haven't you?" she asked a bit surprised.

"Of course." he grunted.

Willow laughed lightly and hugged him.

"Well rest assured that I am not now nor have I ever had sex with my boyfriend." she said as she climbed to her feet.

Ira let out a sigh of relief as she opened the door. He saw everyone standing on the other side trying to hear what they had been talking about.

"Nosy idiots." he muttered at them.

Buffy stepped forward and wrapped an arm around Willows shoulder.

"So how uncomfortable did having 'The Talk' make dad?" she asked a little too chipper.

Ira quirked an eyebrow at the girl which looked ridiculous with his bald head.

"Not as bad as when you and your mom had 'The Talk' though then again she had a reason to be mad. You slut." Willow retorted.

"Prude." Buffy said sticking her tongue out at her best friend.

"Nympho."

"Hey don't bring Faith into this." Buffy told her.

"I can't help it if slaying makes me hungry and horny." Faith said glaring at her sister slayer and her friend crossing her arms over her chest.

"What's your excuse for all the other times?" Dawn asked.

"Watch it short stack." Faith warned.

"I'm taller then you." Dawn shot back.

"I kissed a girl in college, dose that count as that,'Kids do a lot of new things, rule of yours." Willow asked her dad as she turned back to look at him.

"You did not!" Buffy, Faith and Dawn shouted.

"Did too. Spin the bottle. It was at a Frat party, now that I think about it, it was that same frat party that you and Riley turned the building into a house of horrors with your non-stop sex-capads. Which just leads me back to my original statement of 'You slut'"

Dawn started laughing, Buffy shot her a look that promised a young death.

"No not the slut thing. Where were you when everything started to go wrong at that party Wills?"

"The restroom. Dead kid in the bath tube, well his ghost anyway."

"Uh yeah and who was in there with you?" Dawn asked with a smirk.

"I don't know the kid was dead, Dawnie. I wasn't able to get his name." the redhead replied.

Dawn was shaking her head, that all knowing smirk was still on her face.

"I meant who with a pules was in there. You little make out in the bathroom of a frat house with your boyfriend skank."

Willow narrowed her eyes.

"Dawn. How did you know that?" Buffy asked turning to stare at her sister.

"Willows diary. Really you three should not leave them laying around all willy nilly."

"Dawn. Dead." Willow growled out as she went to launch herself at the younger girl, who wisely ran for her life. Faith and Buffy shared a look as they realized that Dawn had hinted about reading theirs as well and ran to help Willow.

"Well I'm seeing a whole new side to Wills. I think I like it." Alessa quipped.


	11. Chapter 11

**Rating: M **for this chapter it involves injury from a shooting but it's not graphic. Please read A/N for more details.

Disclaimer: I just own the people you don't know, for example most of the Millers and Rosenberg's.

A/N: This chapter was written about a year ago and will involve a slight school violence, I tried to rework it to be less offensive, but this was kind of a prime part of the story and I couldn't find a better way to make it flow with the story. I apologize if anyone gets offended by the background for the scene. I understand that school shootings are a real hot issue right now and I didn't write this to upset anyone.

Melissa: I loved Oz/Willow together too so I know where you are coming from. I just can't write him to save my life. As of right now I have no plans of bringing in Angel. I am not sure how he would fit into this story. If this makes you not want to read the rest of the story I understand, and will not be offended. I will warn you that this will more then likely end up with a Buffy/Riley pairing. I know that there aren't a lot of Riley fans out there, I was a fan of him, but I hope to make him a little bit more likeable then they did on the show.

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It had been two weeks since the awkward talk between Willow and Ira. Dawn had been spared any sort of punishment that day thanks to Grandma Gail and Isabella, there was a grounding for her though. After a lecture on how you're not suppose to snoop through your siblings things she along with the boys were all grounded. The boys however were still serving their time she was now free, apparently reading through Diary's was less invasive than setting up video and audio equipment to snoop.

Dawn sat at her desk at the school. She really didn't mind the time she spent at the place but she would have rather been spending time with her new friends.

Dawn had found great friends in the Miller girls.

It didn't hurt that Jenoah came to visit Natanael and Efren when the girls came around to see Willow and the others. Dawn could easily say she had a crush on the older boy.

Dawn gathered her things and walked out of the room waving goodbye to her teacher. She wasn't doing too bad of a job trying to keep the girl on track. Dawn was passing with a solid B in all her classes. As she made her way down the hall Dawn was happy to be heading home for the day. After her moms death Dawn never thought she would be apart of a real family again, oh sure she loved the Scoobies and they were a family but Willows family weren't a bunch of mismatched misfits they were a true family and that was what Dawn loved.

"Hey there Dawnie. Need a lift home?" a male voice asked from behind her.

She turned to see Jenoah in his car a Mercedes C-Class in bright red. She had never understood the motto of 'Boys and their toys.' before meeting Jenoah he loved his car almost as much as his family. He was grinning up at her. It was becoming a regular occurrence with the two of them. He would pick her up and take her home everyday from school.

"I don't know, it looks like a pretty day. I think I might walk." she told him as she stepped off the bottom step and started walking away from the car.

Jenoah pushed lightly on the gas pedal and slowly started following her. She smiled a bit to herself as she continued to walk. They both knew by the time that she got to the end of the side walk she would be sliding into the front passenger seat as he would push in his latest music obsession.

Dawn continued to slowly walk down the sidewalk all the while Jenoah inched behind her in the car. Jenoah had been watching the girl but also had been watching their surroundings. He didn't ease up on the gas when he saw the same black van drive by oh so slowly for the forth time. Stopping the car and slamming the gear shift into park he jumped out of the his vehicle grabbing his cell phone as he stepped out. He walked over to her just as he saw that the black van had pulled in the drive way.

"Get in the car Dawn." he said as gently as he could in a low murmur trying not to freak her out.

He was hoping he was the one over thinking this whole situation. However his hope turned out wrong when the van speed up and aimed right for them.

"Dawn Ella Summers! Get your butt in the car right now!" he shouted at her in the same way that Grandma Gail had yelled at her.

The two turned back toward the car, Jenaoh flung open the door and watched as the van increased it's speed once more. The young Italian boy KNEW that if they got in that car there was no time to move and they would die. He waited until the last possible second and flung himself and Dawn to the side as the van and the Mercedes collided. He would mourn the death of his car later right now he had to get her to safety.

"Run!" he urged her as they climbed to their feet and ran back toward the school.

Once they got inside they could hide or lock the doors or something. He chanced a glance back as he heard shouting in a different language. He saw six men climb out of the black van and race toward them. Fear shot to his heart when he saw them carrying guns. Big guns that they were now aiming at the two fleeing teens.

Dawns long legs had her reaching the front doors first, Jenoah was a couple of steps behind her. They ran inside and dived to the floor as bullets sprayed the doors and glass.

"Go." he said as he climbed to his feet bringing her with him he turned back and locked the doors even though he knew it wouldn't slow the men down for long if at all.

They ran down the hall and made a right. He knew just where he wanted to go.

There was a little hide away hole or more commonly known as a panic room, in one of the classrooms in the Miller Wing of the school, both of the two families had a wing in the school since they've donated so much money to it. There was also one in the Rosenberg wing but the Miller one was closer. No one knew it was there, the Millers and Rosenberg's where the only ones. It helped that Jeremiah's contracting company were the ones that built the wings.

"Where are we going?" Dawn finally asked.

Jenoah held his finger to her lips. He drug her into the classroom and as quietly as he could moved the trap door of the code pad that was behind a shelve and painted to match the color of the walls, punched in a code on the code pad a door to the right of them opened up after replacing the trap door to the code pad he turned toward her.. He motioned her in and shut the door behind them.

Dawn was looking around. The room was small and didn't have a window but it was hooked up to the schools ac system which was pretty good.

"Dad? Can you hear me?" Jenoah was asking into his cell phone.

He was talking so loud that Dawn was afraid the men with the guns would hear him.

"Dad? Da.. Hello? Ah, fu.."

"Jenoah lower your voice please they will hear you. Oh god my teacher is still out there." Dawn whispered to him.

Jenoah looked over at her for the first time since they entered their little hiding place. She was sitting in a corner of the room her legs drawn up to her chest, her blue eyes trained on the door, her whole body shook with fear. Jenoah sighed. He sent his dad a quick text message letting him know what was going on. Apparently when they added the rooms they didn't take in consideration of cell phone calls.

He slid down on the floor beside Dawn and tentatively reached over and pulled her into a hug and kissed her temple.

"It's a panic room, it is sound proof. Also it looks to be cell phone call proof as well had to send a text. They can't get in here unless they know what to look for and no one but the families know the rooms are here. I would think you would be used to the whole life in danger stuff what with your old life and everything. I wouldn't worry too much about your teacher, it was us they were after." he told her in a soothing voice.

"Vampires and demons don't use guns, they just try to eat you. I'm sorry about your car. What's today?" she asked him.

"It's okay rather the car die then us, also it's Tuesday."

She gave a snorted laugh. "Figures."

Michelangelo glared down at his phone as the call with his son was terminated. He couldn't understand what was wrong but he knew something was. Jenoah had sounded worried and out of breath. A ding signaled he had a text message. After opening it his heart stopped for all of five sounds.

'Shooters, school, Dawn, me, Miller panic room.'

Michelangelo jumped up and ran from his office. He knew he was receiving strange looks but he didn't care his son was in danger. He wouldn't get there in time to help but someone else might. Ripping his cell phone open he dialed Anthony's number, cursing as he remembered his brother was in court. Michelangelo hung up and dialed another number, he wasn't sure who's it was he was desperate.

"Hello?"

Letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Darren?"

"Yeah, Michel?"

"I need your help. Jenoah and Dawn are at the school, you're closer then me. I don't know all the details but they are being shot at. They are safe for now they're in the Miller room." he went on to tell him about the terminanted call.

"I'm on it. I'll contact Jeremiah and Isaiah. I'll let you know the plan soon okay? Don't freak out Jenoah is a smart kid he will protect Dawn and him self if he has too." with that Darren hung up and Michelangelo sighed with relief knowing that someone was on their way to help his son, just before speeding out of the parking garage.

Jeremiah was watching Xander as he moved about the construction site with ease. The younger man really seemed like he was in his element, even with just the one eye. Xander had been working with the crew for three weeks and everyone liked him, The crew accepted him into the work force and they never treated him any different just because of the eye. Jeremiah made a mental note to ask Xander what it was that happened to his eye as he felt his phone vibrate, reaching down he pulled the phone out of the case and pushed the talk button.

"Hello?"

"Hey, There's a problem at the school. Michelangelo needs backup I'm on my way but you are closer."

Jeremiah gave a curt nod of his head, then realized that his little brother couldn't see him.

"What's the situation?" the older man asked as he grabbed his car keys and jacket.

"I'm not sure on the whole thing but Jenoah had tried to call Michel and they got cut off. Michel received a text saying that Jenoah and Dawn were at the school, there was shooters there and the two of them are in the Miller room."

Jeremiah stopped at his car looking back over his shoulder at the working crewmen. He spotted Xander, knowing how close the boy was with Dawn he figured that the brunette boy would want to know about what was happening.

"Jer are you there?" Darrens very calm voice asked.

"Yeah I'm here. Don't worry I'm on my way, gonna grab Xander then I'm breaking every law there is to get there. See you soon little brother." Jeremiah said as he walked back over to the working crew,

As he shoved the phone back in his pocket he called out to Xander. The other man turned to him with a smile on his face.

"Hey Uncle Jer is everything okay you look a little, well ticked off." Xander asked giving him a concerned look.

"Hey kiddo, yeah just some family emergency that we need to go check on." Jeremiah didn't have to say anymore that had apparently been the code for the group when they were in public as well.

Xander nodded once looked over at his co-workers and gave them a nod.

Everyone knew that the two came to and left work together everyday. As they walked back toward the car Xander hung his hard hat on the hook that was assigned to it and grabbed the jacket from the hook under it.

After they pulled out of the parking lot Xander turned to him and asked,  
"So is this normal family business, Scooby gang type of business or busting knee caps and making cement shoes business?"

"A combo of all I guess you could say."

"What's going on?"

Jeremiah filled him in on what he knew and he saw the young boy shake his head in disbelief, before muttering.

"Of course it's a Tuesday."

Jeremiah wasn't sure what that meant but he shrugged his shoulders and said, "Huh, yeah." not really understanding the statement. As he had told his brother, Jeremiah had broke a few laws getting to the road out side the school gates. He parked his car and climbed out; his passenger followed suite. Opening the trunk of the car and taking the side panel off of the wall Jeremiah allowed for Xander to see an aspect of the Mafia life for the first time.

Grabbing two handguns and a shotgun first, then reaching for a handful of knives Jeremiah gave a silent laugh as another hand reached over and grabbed a crowbar and a couple of knives. Turning his head to look at the younger brunette and pinned him with a questioning look.

"I can't shoot a gun but I can throw a knife, I'm not Buffy or Faith but I hit my target seven out of ten times." came the reply.

"Well watch out for those other three that you miss. Remind me to take you to the shooting range." Jeremiah said he heard another car pull up.

Being on his guard the tall burly man chanced a glimpse and saw his brothers Ira and Isaiah getting out of the Iras car. They turned and did the same thing that he and Xander were doing. After the two new arrivals were armed and ready the four men made their way toward the school.

"Just wondering but what are we hoping to find besides Dawnie and Jenoah?" Xander asked as they snuck behind a large bush.

"Hopefully nothing, just the two of the them in one piece. I really don't think you should have come son." Ira spoke as he survey the school grounds.

"Would you had rather Andrew be here?" Xander shot back.

Ira stopped what he was doing and looked over at the boy who had been his little girls best friend through out her life. He felt a tinge of guilt when he met the boys eye, he could see the resolution in that one brown orb. Xander wasn't going to leave the school grounds unless Dawn was with him. The guilt wasn't because of what Ira had told Xander no the guilt was because it had taken the bald man such along time to notice that Tony Harris had abused his son for to long.

One day during the summer between the kids eightieth grade and freshmen years of school Ira had been in town on a rare occasion and had finally had enough of the way Tony treated the boy. After Xander had come to the house to see Willow with Jesse in tow Ira saw the hand marks on the kids neck, and the slight limp that he had when he walked. To any one else it would have looked like marks a kid would get while roughhousing but to a son of a mafia lord he knew a beating when he saw one.

Ira had gone over to the Harris household and when Tony answered the door before the drunk could even get the words 'What do you want Ira?' out, Ira was shoving him back to the wall and pinning him there. After threatening his life and showing Tony he was more the capable of delivering the promised injures Ira had gone back home and watched the trio in the back yard.

"I'd rather neither of my sons were here, at least not until I teach them the proper way to shoot.." the bald man said to Xanders question.

The group of men turned and pointed their weapons at a rustling that was coming from the bushes. They lowered their guns when Michelangelo rushed to a tree next to them.

Xanders gaze hadn't left Ira the whole time. He had been all for Ira and the family to adopt the group but to hear those words come from the man that he had always wished were his dad filled Xanders heart with hope. He had never thanked the man for what ever it was he had said to Tony that day but the beatings had stopped and verbal abuse wasn't so bad. Anytime Tony had looked at Xander he would get white and leave the room. Xander wasn't stupid he had see the marks on his dad he knew that someone had beat him up. It wasn't until that moment hiding behind the trees at Dawns high school that he realized that Ira had been responsible for it.

As the group slowly made their way toward the school they saw a black van smashed into Jenoahs car. The car was destroyed, but there was no one in it so at least the two teens had gotten out before the crash.

"Ouch, poor Jenoah he loved that car. How did you get here before me?" Darrens voice spoke as he joined the group the last part was directed toward Michel.

Darren had been able to contact Ira and Isiah and Iezekiel but the last brother had been told to get the grinder ready in case they were able to catch one of the gun men.

"Lets go." Isiah said as they all slowly made their way closer to the school entrance.

When they weren't fired at they looked at each other.

"Maybe they left." Michel spoke.

"How their van is right there? Unless there were two, we still need to be careful." Ira said.

They all made their way up the steps and into the school. The front doors were shot up and kicked in. As they stepped inside they went in pairs. Jeremiah and Darren, Isiah and Xander and Michel and Ira. Ira though he was partnered with one of his best friends he couldn't help but keep Xander in his line of sight. Everything was pretty uneventful, they all realized that Michel might have been right the shooters probably left when they couldn't find the two teens.

After a through sweep of the school and rooms surrounding the classroom that held the Miller panic room they had yet to come across the shooters. The group steeped in to the final room and glanced around. There were desks overturned, the blackboard looked to be half off it's hinges.

Darren wondered briefly what the gun men had thought would be able to fit behind the blackboard.

Jeremiah reached over and reveled the code pad, punching in the code, the group all turned to see the door of the panic room crack open. The group slowly opened the door to reveal a frightened looking Dawn trying to support a wounded Jenoah.

The young man had blood dripping from a gash on his head, and a slice on his arm. Dawn was applying her coat to the wound that was in the boys stomach.

"Oh god, Jenoah." Michelangelo shouted out as he rushed to his son.

Darren turned to Xander. "There is a black bag in the backseat of my car. I need it. How fast can you run?" he asked tossing the keys to his BMW to the man beside him.

"Be back in a jiff, Dawnie you okay?" Xander asked and gave a stern smile when the girl nodded, before he took off toward the front of the school.

"I'll go with him in case they are still around." Jeremiah informed them all as he turned and followed Xander.

"They got in. I fought them off but, I guess they heard you coming and took off." Jenoah whizzed out through the pain.

"Shh. It's alright son, Darren is here he is gonna fix you up good as new." Ishia said as he knelt down next to the rapidly growing group by the injured boy.

"Couldn't let them have..." Jenoah said but was cut off as a sharp pain tore through him.

"Oh god!" Dawn cried out as she watched him breath through the pain before he passed out in her arms.

The gathered group could tell she was feeling very guilty about the injuries that the older boy had suffered to protect her.

Xander ran back into the room just as Darren was getting up to go call out to see what was taking so long.

"Here. Is he alright?" the boy panted out as he threw himself on the floor.

"He will be." Darren went about set out the medication he would need for the wounded young man.

"Dawn sweetheart, they got in here? Did they say what they wanted?" Ishia said trying to get some forum of information.

"I.. I... I think they wanted me." she muttered her blue eyes landed on Jenoahs face. "He wouldn't let them near me."

The group of men all looked at each other. There was something seriously wrong with the matter at hand, how did they get into the room? Only family members knew about it. None of them wanted to say what they were thinking out loud.

"Dawn it's okay, everything is going to be fine." Ira said as he pulled her to him in a hug.

After the bleeding slowed enough Darren stitched up the cuts on Jenoah. Jereimah and Ishai carried the boy out to the waiting car that Michelangelo had pulled around. As Darren climbed into the backseat with the unconscious boy he told Michelangelo to go to the Rosenberg house they were having an emergency joint family meeting.

"Shouldn't he go to the hospital?" Dawn asked her voice breaking just a little.

"We are taking him. The rest of you go to the house, let the adults know what is going on, do not tell Buffy that Dawn was a possible target. We can do a family meeting when we get there." Michelangelo told them.

Ira drove a silent Dawn back with him. Ishia had taken Darrens car and behind them Jereimah and Xander rode in silence in the black SUV that his younger brother cherished so much.

"Dawn?" Ira tried to break the girls silence but there was no luck as she just stared straight ahead.

The bald-headed man was afraid that she had gone into shock. He had seen the same look on Willows face her Sophomore year of high school when a group of students had been murdered in the student wreck room. Ira had never felt as helpless as he did at that time, but now all those feelings were surfacing again.


	12. Authors note

Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I own those you don't recognize, all others belongs to Joss.  
A/N: Sorry about the long delay I had a really hectic summer full of power outages, hospitals and baby cousins stealing my laptop cause she left hers in Houston. Thank you to all who have followed this story, reviewed it, or favorited it. Favorited is not a word according to my spell check but I am making it one for now.

)))))STORY STARTS NOW

Efren and Faith were in the front yard sitting on the bench that was placed about fifteen feet from the entrance to the house. They were far enough away that they could hear if some one opened the door so they were in a heated make out session.

"You don't think our relationship is weird?" Efren asked after a moment.

Faith lifted her hear from his neck and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Relationship? This is a relationship? Don't tell me you want to talk about your feelings, I'm gonna start thinking you are the girl in this situation."

"You know I'm not a girl, I think I have proven time and time again that I am not a girl. I mean is it strange to an outsider that I'm dating a girl that my uncle has pretty much adopted into the family, making her my cousin?" he asked looking up at her as he glided his hands up her arms to her shoulders and back again.

"I guess to an outsider it would seem weird or odd but who cares what others think about us. I don't see where it's anyone else da..." she was cut off as tires screeched at the gate.

The two looked up and over to the gate to see three cars, ones they knew very well, all in a line at the closed gate.

"That's strange they are never home at this time." Efren said looking up from his watch, as he took in his uncles cars followed by Michelangelo's car.

"You think somethings up?" Faith asked sliding off of his lap and onto the bench beside him.

"Don't know yet. Though dad has been out in the shed awhile." he muttered.

"What's the shed got to do with it?" his girlfriend asked confused.

"It's were we keep the heavy duty cement mixer." he replied as the line of cars pulled to a stop in front of the two.

Ira jumped out of his car and ran around to the passenger side and lifted Dawn out. He looked at Efren and handed the girl to him.

"Get her inside. Tell everyone there's a meeting in the living room in ten." he said.

Efren and Faith looked at each other then at Dawn, Efren did as he was told and took Dawn inside and sat her on the sofa. Faith went about the chore of telling everyone that there was a meeting neither had thought to ask what the commotion was about.

Faith wandered into the greenhouse were Gail and Isabella were.

"Grandma?" she spoke up.

The two women turned to her with smiles on their faces. Gail was holding a tulip and Isabella was holding what Faith realized was a gardenia.

"Uh, dad said to tell you all that there is a family meeting in the living room in ten."

"What's it about dear?" Gail asked as her smile faded a bit.

Faith gave a shrug and looked down.

"I don't know but dad and the uncles are in like a panic mode." she told them

The two older women looked at one another and paled. They knew the signs of a mafia freakout they had witnessed them enough over the years. Something had gone down and the men were frantic.

"Alright dear. Thank you, can you round up some of the others, we will find whom ever we can." Gail asked.

Faith gave a quick 'Yes ma'am.' and went to find who ever she could.

Faith went through the bottom level of the house and found Buffy, Willow, Giles, and surprisingly Alessa.

"Hey family meeting in the living room in five." she said.

She had figured she had wasted five minutes looking for the few people she had found. After walking off she walked down the hall to find, Andrew, Philip Karisa and Isaak in the game room.

"Family meeting in the living room." she told them.

As Faith made her way back toward the living room she ran into Carissa and Noah, instead of saying anything she just grabbed the boy by the hand and yanked him toward the living room, and since he had a hold of Carissa's hand she was forced to follow. As the groups settled Faith saw Dawn was gone, the brunette looked over at Efren with a look. He pointed toward Ira and then upstairs. She gave a nod.

Everyone else had been located and were now sitting in the living room.

"There's been an attack." Ira started.

"What? Where?" Gail asked in a shockingly calm manner.

"At the school. We aren't sure who ordered it but we do think it might have been an inside job." he told her.

As Ira was talking Darren was sneaking behind Buffy with a needle. They had agreed to give the girl a sedative just powerful enough that she couldn't kill anyone when they informed her that her sister had been a target. Darren stuck the needle in the blondes arm so fast that she thought it was a bug bite and swatted at the place that the needle had just been seconds before.

"Why do you think that?" Philip asked.

"They were able to get into the Miller room where Jenoah and Dawn were hiding." Ira answered and as predicted the blonde slayer flew up from her seat and pointed at them.

"Why didn't you tell me my sister was attacked!" she demanded only to fall back in her chair in a daze.

"Buffy listen to me okay. Dawn is fine if not a little shell shocked. She's physically perfect. Jenoah risked his life to protect her." Ira said as he tried to calm the girl down.

"Is he alright?" Cara asked as her sisters sat up straighter upon hearing that their brother had fought with armed men.

"It's a little touch and go right now but I believe he will be just fine girls." Darren said trying to ease the worry that the group of girls suddenly felt.

"What happened? Do we know what they were after?" Laim asked.

He was answered with shakes of the heads.

"At this point all we've found out is that we believe they were after Dawn for some reason." Jeremiah answered as all eyes turned toward Buffy who now thanks to the sedative Darren had injected her with, had a goofy smile on her face and was gazing off into la-la land.

"Oh my goddess what did you give her Uncle Darren!" Willow asked as she waved her hand in front of her stoned best friend.

Darren grinned and said, "A light sedative."

"You doped her up!"

"Relax, Willow you know how worked up Buffy gets when Dawnie is in danger I think it was a smart move on Uncle Darren's part." Xander interjected as he rubbed his face.

"I could have done it for you." Willow said to her uncle, earning a look of amusement.

"You really think this is an inside job?" Rosabella asked in horror grabbing Joshua's hand.

"Yes, we do, but who would want to hurt Dawn? She's a seventeen year old girl." Isiah wondered out loud.

"What are we? Monkeys?" Alessa wanted to know raising an eyebrow at him.

Isiah shook his head and threw his hands up. "I surrender." he muttered.

"Okay back to people wanting to hurt Dawn. Did Jenoah get a good look at them? Could he possible I.D. Them?" Katrina inquired.

"Russian." a voice said from the doorway.

Everyone's attention, save Buffys, turned toward Jenoah who was being supported by Dawn. Michelangelo rushed from behind the young man and helped the young girl support the weight of the heavy boy. Together they carried him to the sofa and sat him between the two waiting grandmothers.

"So there are Russian mobsters now?" Xander quipped.

Every head in the room turned to pin him with a look of incertitude. Even Andrew was shaking his head at the older boy.

"The Russian mob is one of the oldest chapters of the mob." Phillip told him rolling his eyes.

"I knew that, it was a joke. Get the stick out of your a..:"

"Alexander." Gail said in a warning tone that left no room for argument.

"They were after me, but Jenoah wouldn't let them at me. They had these guns, and I've never been shot at so that wasn't a pleasant experience. You could have been killed you stupid fool." Dawn said, the last part aimed at her savior as she punched him in the arm.

"Ow! I'm injured here woman!" Jenoah grimaced.

Dawn stuck her tongue out at him.

"I know something else you could do with that." he muttered earning himself laughter from his friends and shrieks of disgust from his sisters and cousins.

Isabelle and Gail excused themselves to go start dinner.

"Why would anyone want to hurt Dawn, no offense but you're not that intimidating." Efren said trying to steer the group back in the right direction.

Dawns eyes bore into him with a heat that if it had manifested the house would be an inferno.

"Well neither are you but you could kill someone seventeen different ways with a spork." Alessa countered.

"A spork?" Dawn asked.

Efren nodded.

The scoobies, except Willows and Buffys, heads turned to look at Efren.

Faith tilted her head to the side and nodded at him giving him a look of approval.

No one saw Andrew lean over and whisper into Phillips ear. Phillips eyes went wide as he comprehended what the other boy had said.

"No Andrew I don't think that is stupid at all, in fact I think we should run it by the parents. It even adds to the inside job theory." he told his friend.

"What?" Lillian asked.

"Well Andrew had an idea about the possible suspects behind the attack."

As one all eyes turned toward the shy and skittish scifi nerd.

"Well what was your theory? " Jerimaih asked growing impatient.

"Uh, well, uh wouldn't the person behind the attack have to know about the stuff in Sunnydale and both of the families?" Andrew asked looking at the men for confirmation.

"Oh my god, he is right." Ickabod grunted as he put his head in his hands.

The room got silent as everyone looked at Andrew in shocked understanding. Michelangelo and Anthony both turned their eyes to the Rosenberg men. All of their eyes were wide with surprise. It was Giles dismayed voice that broke the silence.

"Oh dear lord."

"Great going Scify you made G-man go all ODL on us." Faith said rolling her own eyes.

"Faith. He has a point, a very valid point." Ira told her as he pointed at Andrew.

"So, who would be someone that would know about all three things?" Lillian asked glancing around the room, she received shrugs.

Willow had a look of thought on her face, it was a look that they had all known to be her I have a theory but don't know if I should say it look.

"How about we get something for dinner, and discuss this some other time." Isabelle suggested as she and Gail entered the room.

"Like when my sister isn't higher than a kite?" Dawn wanted to know looking at her sister for the first time.

Buffy's head was on Sara's shoulder. Buffy's hand was petting the brunettes head.

"I kinda like druggy Buffy."

"Are you sure it was a light sedative?" Gail asked Darren as she eyed the loopy girl.

"With her super duper immune system, it should be wearing off." Darren informed them, right about the time Buffy's eyes focused and she shook her head lightly.

Light green eyes zeroed in on Darren. The doctor suddenly sympathized with all of those demons and vampires that had been on the receiving end of his adoptive nieces rage.

"You suck." Buffy told him as she tried to stand up.


End file.
